A Winner is You Kyuubi
by AngelLucifel
Summary: One of my entries into Avatarjk137's "A Winner is You" Tournament. So, a small storyline based around fights with other characters from other genres. This one is for Kyuubi from Naruto
1. Intro

Kyuubi

Kyuubi

The place was simply teeming with powerful creatures, some human and some more in line with his own species, and all with a definite blood-lust exuding from them. It made him smile. The great nine-tailed demon Kyuubi stalked the long hallways past human stores filled with strange indulgent devices no one could possibly need and other competitors who sized him up curiously, uncertain about the contained power underneath his skin—which was not his norm. Usually, he was the shape of a nine-tailed fox almost the height of building he was in, but in order to come here and shed some blood he had reshaped himself into a human body with fiery hair and amber eyes. He approached the other demon nearby, a lower-level creature of an edible sort whom stood greeting people and answering questions politely. Kyuubi drew near and Death by chocolate turned with a smile to greet him.

"What can I do for you?"

"Sign me up." Kyuubi replied with a smirk.

"Very well sir, here is your contract."

Kyuubi took it and began looking it over, he scanned most of the content, not really caring about the little things so long as—

"What the fuck is this?" He growled jamming a finger at a section in the contract.

"Ah, yes, the no-killing rule. Since this isn't an instant elimination tournament that would be most unfortunate."

Kyuubi stared at him for a long time, eyes narrow and exuding pure hatred. Though the chocolate at the tip of his nose began to melt under the heat of the glare, Death by Chocolate remained calm and composed with a half-smile on his face.

"Will you be joining or not sir?"

"Fine."

Kyuubi scribbled his name and thrust the contract back at him and then stalked away to explore his surroundings, grumbling all the while. He was just about to check out a store which claimed to market to demons when he heard a low, chuckling voice at his shoulder.

"Kyuubi-dono, frustrated about the rules? Never one to follow them were you?"

Kyuubi turned around slowly to glower at Orochimaru, a man whom held what respect a human could gain from the demon, and he raised his eyebrows.

"And?" He said. "I know you have more to say."

Orochimaru chuckled. "I'd like to kill as well…I have a proposition."

Kyuubi made no reaction or response; Orochimaru would keep talking, he need not let the snake-man know his thoughts.

"I would like to make a bet. I was thinking, one of us is bound to break down and kill someone eventually. I'm willing to bet it'll be you."

Kyuubi smirked, and considered for a moment. Orochimaru probably had a trick up his sleeve, but then, did that really matter? He didn't think so; after all, whatever the ninja might try he was confident he could defend himself well enough. He looked up to agree, but Orochimaru had wandered off with a mischievous expression.

Kyuubi followed with a sigh; he feared this tournament would cause much more trouble than it was worth.


	2. Vs Kurosaki Ichigo

Kyuubi Fight 1:

At first, Ichigo thought he had tripped, but then the searing pain in his back taught him otherwise. He went skidding along the mall floor, catching himself just in time to avoid tumbling into the waterway. He was smart enough to move quickly, and just dodged the second blow, which carved away a good chuck of the floor where had laid all of one breath ago.

"What the hell?" He bellowed. "This is a formal tournament not some street fight, what're you attacking my damn back for?"

His opponent straightened, clearing himself from the settling rubble and glared at Ichigo, amber eyes simmering with a blood lust so deeply ingrained into his psyche Ichigo was at first unable to comprehend it. Then he noticed the cool, calm way he walked, surrounded by all that fiery energy and yet not in the least taken over by it, and realized this man was not like anything he had seen before. He gulped and took a step back.

"What's the matter, boy?" Kyuubi said softly, all nine tails twitching like a cat on the hunt. "Not so snide now?"

"Are…are you an old spirit or…?"

The laugh that escaped the demon was loud, sharp, and stung Ichigo's ears as if they were being grated like cheese, not by the pitch, but by the sheer maniacal essence that came with it. His grip on his Zangetsu tightened. He already hated this man.

"If you want to know what I am," Kyuubi growled. "You can fight me and find out."

Ichigo was going to make the first move, but Kyuubi was already charging, clawed hands dead on target for Ichigo's throat. The death-god narrowly dodged, and his counter was a weak after-thought to avoiding the unexpected suddenness of that attack. Realizing he could waste no time on the build-up Ichigo jumped back far enough to give him the moment he needed, and then raised his sword again and shouted "Bankai!" immediately setting off the transformation. Kyuubi flipped over the shot of energy easily, watching Ichigo curiously as the new-transformed death-god waited to judge where Kyuubi would land, and then charged in to start again. Kyuubi landed on his hands and sprung himself over again, to land once more on his feet, then stumbling backwards slightly as his dodge was very nearly intercepted by an attack so fast Kyuubi had almost completely missed it.

_Fast. That's good. It'll be something of a chase. _Kyuubi thought with a smirk.

A low grumble of a laugh reverberated in Kyuubi's throat again as he and Ichigo fell into a violent dance of attack and dodge, parry and counter, Kyuubi running around his blade as though it were nothing, to slash at Ichigo, and Ichigo pushing his speed to the limit, trying to slip an attack under the demon's arm or behind his leg, but Kyuubi was always one step ahead. There was a moment when he though he was going to get a solid hit, right at the shoulder, but then Kyuubi _caught _the attack by the blade, hardly noticing as his palms were split open, and threw it aside, and the moment was gone in a fresh wash of shock and horror.

"You were so unlucky boy, to have to face me after I was forced to sit out, and watch all that carnage happen without the joy of participating, it was all I could not to eat the spectators."

The few gore-enthusiasts that had not already been scared into a far corner of the mall by the ferocity of the fight backed away at that, thinking to watch from a safer distance. All but one. The pale, serpentine ninja watching from the railing above them continued watching and snickering as the battle went on.

Kyuubi punched Ichigo hard in the face, and felt blood slip over his hand with a sneer of satisfaction. But he had underestimated Ichigo's resilience, and the retaliation that came only a moment later he would have never imagined humanly possible. So Ichigo finally scored a hit, chopping into Kyuubi's thigh and causing a howl of pain to escape the demon. Kyuubi made a fresh sweep at Ichigo, but only succeeded in pushing him back far enough to give Kyuubi time to seal the wound, as a flash of red chakra surrounded him and then the gash had healed. But to Kyuubi's frustration, the pain remained. Ichigo used no ordinary blade, more unto the likes of Orochimaru's sword, infused with energies beyond cold steel. It only served to make him angrier. He charged in again, but now Ichigo was driven by the knowledge that he had actually hurt Kyuubi, and that he had a hell of a better chance than he had thought before, and started thinking he could possibly win the round. But the animal look of rage behind Kyuubi's eyes made Ichigo pause, and then decided with a small nod that he couldn't risk holding back even the slightest, and as Kyuubi charged again he was abruptly buffeted by a shockwave of energy that was certainly _not _altogether human. That was what stopped him, made him crouch low and glare and Ichigo, sizing him up once more, his blazing yellow eyes scanning Ichigo's newly-masked faced curiously.

A low growl came from Kyuubi's throat. "You tread too closely to things you don't understand, human. You should not dare to brush the world of demons. I will teach that lesson."

"I never did have a very good attention-span in class." Ichigo snapped back.

Kyuubi scoffed, and then charged in once again, and their separate energies met and exploded into a fresh volley, this one faster, harder, more intense than anything Ichigo had ever felt, and he was exhilarated by it. They were chasing each other around the mall, crashing into store windows and terrifying the simple audience, and entrancing those who might face them later, with the ferocity of their battle. Kyuubi lunged at Ichigo, but he ducked low, and Kyuubi went over him harmlessly. However the second he had touched down he reversed his momentum and sprung back at Ichigo, this time grazing Ichigo's side with a slash he had meant to puncture his lungs, and the hilt of Ichigo's sword knocked down on his back painfully, cutting his momentum short and sending him into a somersault which the demon controlled into a quick roll and regained his footing a few feet outside of Ichigo's range. The deadly interaction sent them quickly down the mall and to the hedge maze, where they showed little respect for the plant life, and their wide-swung attacks began quickly chopping away bits of hedge as they made their way deep into the maze. A solid kick from Kyuubi sent Ichigo flying through three walls of the plants, landing him in a pile of loose debris, where he lay for a moment, breathless.

"Come on boy!" Kyuubi barked into the wreckage, his enthusiasm for the battle making him eager to taunt Ichigo, always curious to see human reaction. There was always time in a battle to use for his own amusement. "Don't you have it in you? Or are you just too young for this?"

A sword broke through the plant-wall behind him, stabbing him through the right shoulder, making him stand still in shock. He trembled in anger as he noticed now that Ichigo's shirt was all he could see lying amongst the rubble, and now he saw it looked flat and un-filled.

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo snapped. "I'm and _death-god_, bitch! This is what—" He jerked the sword out. "—I—" raised it again. "—Do!" and stabbed it, straight through Kyuubi's chest.

There was a moment of absolute stillness, with Ichigo holding his breath, and Kyuubi still standing there, unmoving.

The next sound was a chuckle, deep and throaty, with the sound of gurgling blood underlying. Ichigo stared in horror as Kyuubi drew the sword slowly out of his back and then turned to face him, his aura suddenly becoming a tangible, visible force of angry red flames, making Ichigo stumble back a step, watching in horror as he thought he saw a huge, inhuman face in the fire.

"A death-god?" Kyuubi said, his voice suddenly so deep and dark in shook the earth, and made Ichigo and everyone within the mall tremble. "Oh, how naïve you are. I'm your worst nightmare, Ichigo, I transcend death and time. I have been a bringer of pain and suffering since before your kind could _think_. You can stab me and cut me into pieces as often as you like, I will not fall." Kyuubi leaned in closer, smiling with his sharp white fangs clearly visible, his eyes no longer holding within them any semblance to human life. "In short; you're fucked."

His aura suddenly roared and exploded, catching the entire maze around them in a ball of flame. Ichigo was suddenly choking on smoke and the stench of the pure malice in Kyuubi's chakra, the flame was hot, and each tongue that licked his skin burned with a pain more akin to acid than fire. He spun around, searching for away out, but all the shrubs were completely immersed in flame, there was only the twisting path. He ran. Ran for his life down the stone floor, searching desperately for the way out, not in any way assured that the tournament's rules would keep him from death. Kyuubi's laughter followed him, and in every flicker of the red flame he thought he saw the demon's eyes watching him. But somehow, impossibly, he found his way; saw the small gap in the flame that led out into the safety of the open mall.

And there stood Kyuubi; surrounded by same flame that was closing in on Ichigo from his sides, smirking at him. He heard the crumble and roar of the wall behind him caving in and blocking any retreat. A spark caught on his pant leg, and he desperately tried to beat it out, but only succeeded in scalding his palms. Kyuubi was laughing again. The smoke and stench of the flame grew thicker; the foul air was burning and filling his lungs, choking him, making him unable to breathe, unable to do anything. He could recall no more of his energy, could not force his body to move—he was dying, but he could neither declare his surrender nor, through the pain and some black magic, completely faint. He had thought he knew fear. He was so terribly wrong.

Kyuubi watched with dancing eyes, his teeth bared in a feral grin, people were screaming and running around asking why no one was putting the damn flames out. The sprinkler system had been activated of course but it had no effect on the burning chakra. Ichigo was allowed no relief.

Suddenly Death by Chocolate was at his side.

"I declared you the winner. Let him out." He said.

"No."

"Let. Him. Out."

"He hasn't fainted yet."

"And when will he faint?!" Death by Chocolate growled. "When you're good and ready? You've won, let him out."

"No."

"Did you not hear me? I declared you the winner!"

"Look at me, low-ling. Do I look like I care? Until he's actually dead I've done nothing wrong."

Death by Chocolate stared, looked over at the flames and back to Kyuubi. "I will disqualify you."

"Then I can bring this whole place to the ground."

There was a massive crash, and suddenly Ichigo was rocketing out of the maze carried by a cackling ball of blue fur. The flames escalated for a moment, as Kyuubi raged internally, and then they faded with an angry hiss. Death by Chocolate glared at Kyuubi and then ran to be assured if Ichigo was still alive, and Kyuubi slowly clenched his fists.

As the small blue alien laid Ichigo on the mall floor the shinigami had already fainted, finally free of Kyuubi's poison. Kyuubi stalked over in a few moments, under many frightened, watchful eyes, and glared down at Stitch.

"You." He grumbled.

"Mega." Stitch agreed with a glare.

There was laughter nearby and Kyuubi turned to see Orochimaru sauntering over in his snake-like way. Kyuubi watched him approach coolly, giving him none of the reaction he knew the ninja was trying to get.

"Ah, yes, one of the few creations so truly indestructible he can withstand demon-flame." Orochimaru mused. "Amusing that he should be so…er…"

"Fluffy." Stitch offered.

"Indeed. Fluffy." Orochimaru gave a small smile and then turned to the demon. "Now Kyuubi, do you think that constitutes as losing our little bet?"

Kyuubi snorted and turned away. "I wasn't going to kill him."

Orochimaru smiled wryly. "Of course not. Well, since he did survive I guess I can't prove anything. I'll be watching next round…"

"You'd be better off watching your back."

Orochimaru wiggled his fingers in an obnoxious parting gesture and headed back down the corridor to his next fight. Death by Chocolate followed, looking at Kyuubi with a knitted brow, worried for the lives of everyone within mall, uncertain of how good an idea it had been to leave the tournament truly open for anyone. He did not like the feeling in his gut that made him think he was no longer the one with the most control.

Kyuubi watched them go for a moment, as Ichigo was carried to a medical station and people began quietly leaving, giving Kyuubi a wide berth for their own health. But when Kyuubi finally roared out a cry of frustration one unlucky patron happened to be sneaking by too closely, and Kyuubi grabbed him by the neck and chucked him through a window into a hardware store, where he caused a domino-crash of shelving onto several more un-deserving crowd-members. Kyuubi huffed through his clenched teeth and then turned away to seek some solitude.

**There was a bit of a nod to my Ask Sakura fans in stitch's being able to tolerate the Kyuubi-fire. I figured that'd be ok for this story since Av and Khellan both fall under that category. Hee. Thanks for reading.  
**


	3. Interlude

Interlude

Orochimaru left a thoroughly intimidated Kabuto holding the vial of Deadpool's blood and slunk along the mall corridors, deep in thought as he searched out Kyuubi. Half the time he moved so smoothly the patrons of the mall didn't even see him, but everyone felt the chill that always followed the snake ninja, and were unsettled. Orochimaru chuckled softly at that knowledge, always finding enjoyment in the way his very aura could make any lesser humans tremble.

Ororchimaru eventually found himself in a large, white-stone circular hall filled only by a massive fountain; the walls were gently curved and without any marring storefronts. The fountain consisted of a huge, shallow basin, nearly twenty-five meters in diameter, with five tiers of gradually smaller size with a thin, twisted spire rising from the top. The water was crystal clear with a smooth, even flow which let the sunlight filtering through the skylight above glitter off its surface and fill the hall with dappled reflections. The hall was void of human life, almost entirely hollow, leaving the space to echo back the emptiness. And it all seemed to converge on the one point of seething darkness that was the demon Kyuubi. He seemed to have calmed from his earlier fight, but there was still a definite fire just beneath his skin that had not yet cooled that seeped into the air and created a pocket of dark energy that broke from the rest of the hall sharply.

Kyuubi did not look up as Orochimaru approached, nor did he move when the snake-ninja sat down so close beside him he was almost pressing against him. Orochimaru raised his eyebrows at that; Kyuubi was not one to allow people within his personal bubble.

"So, shall I take this hermitage to mean you missed my little fight?" Orochimaru asked resting his chin on Kyuubi's shoulder.

Kyuubi continued to be still as he replied; "I saw it." His voice was so dark and deep I rumbled through Orochimaru's chest.

"What did you think?"

"That you cheated. I think you should have counted that as killing."

"Why? He was alive wasn't he?"

Kyuubi scoffed, his shoulders finally moving from their set. "You didn't know he'd survive. You got carried away."

"Well then we'll call it even for your fit with that death-god boy." Orochimaru said turning to dangle his feet in the water.

Kyuubi stayed where he was sitting along the edge, watching Orochimaru through his peripheral vision. For a time there was silence but for the echo of the ripples made by the cascading sheets of water and Orochimaru's kicking feet. Then there was the roar of applause from the end of the final battle rushing down the hallway followed by Death by Chocolate's magically enhanced voice making an announcement for the next fight.

"Now, ladies, gents and undefined, listen up and listen well! The next round will be fought in teams of two!"

He paused and the crowd instantly filled the gap with thunderous cheers and cries of surprise, a few louder cries rung out from some of the contestants, mostly of shock and disapproval, though some sounded excited for the challenge.

Death by Chocolate spoke again. "Your team-mates will be randomly selected by my lovely assistant at the computer over there and will appear on the screen above you. Let's begin!"

Orochimaru looked down the way towards where the noise came from, his face twisted in amusement. "I wonder if they'd penalize us for beating our opponents _and _our team-mate." He said with a snicker.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, but couldn't deny that his own thoughts had traveled that way as well. Death by Chocolate's voice went through the first few teams to much applause and cheering, and Kyuubi didn't care to listen to whom was with whom, though if he had he might not have been so shocked when he heard Death by Chocolate announce;

"And Kyuubi is fighting with Orochimaru."

There was dead silence after he announced it. The crowd's worried whispers and sighs did not make it to Kyuubi and Orochimaru's haunt. Kyuubi felt a twitch in his temple as he slowly looked over at Orochimaru's amused face.

"Well…this'll be fun." The ninja said with a smirk.

Kyuubi turned back to the fountain with a long groan as Orochimaru's low chuckle echoed into the hall.


	4. With Orochimaru Vs Wolfwood and Angel

Kyuubi (With Orochimaru)

Vs

Angel and Wolfwood

Kyuubi was not happy. This wasn't altogether unusual for him, as he was a being made of darkness and rage, but generally his dark disposition brought him some sense of sadistic pleasure. He was not normally frustrated to the point of pouting—but pout he did. He sat on the roof of the Mall of the World, looking out at the sky that was, in this world, a disgusting shade of blue and only served to remind him of how very disappointing this whole situation had turned out to be.

He let out a long sigh as he leaned against the railing that was a joke of an attempt at safety, with wide spaces between slick, rounded rails. The wind was fresh and crisp, and frustratingly soft against his rough sun-hardened skin.

"Kyuubi-kun…"

Kyuubi looked over his shoulder at Orochimaru, glaring at the dark-haired ninja. "What?" He snapped.

"I'd really appreciate it if you actually _fought_. Seeing as the battle started about ten minutes ago." He replied, just as a fresh volley of bullets went ricocheting down the hall he had come from, one just barely missing his neck as he stretched it into a grotesque curve to evade the shot.

Kyuubi growled and stood slowly, cracking his back as Orochimaru slithered over to stand beside him, his usual nasty smile still warping his face. A half-second later there was the stomp of footsteps up the stairs and a tall, lean man followed by a delicate pink creature that caught Kyuubi's attention arrived at the rooftop. The pink creature was stubby-legged, wide-mouthed, bug-eyed and fluffy, an unhappily familiar combination of characteristics. Kyuubi felt his muscles tense, his fists and teeth clenched and the growl in the back of his throat rose to a thunderous rumble.

The man was carrying a massive gun of strange and surrealistic mechanisms. It was a massive cross with a complicated array of options that Orochimaru could hardly follow and Kyuubi didn't care to examine. He had most recently had it held before him shooting hundreds of bullets a second—only a few of which had even scraped Orochimaru's skin. Now he brought the longest end down and rested it on the ground, the bulk of the machine guarding his body. Orochimaru was chuckling in amusement at the symbolism of the shape, already knowing what was coming next.

"You two…" He said softly. "…I don't know what you are—"

"—He's a demon." Orochimaru put in, thumbing towards Kyuubi.

The man stopped, his eyes flickered at Kyuubi and narrowed as he tried to focus on the strange aura surrounding him like a wavering mirage of shadow. "I will vanquish you." He said softly.

"Ok." Orochimaru said with a chuckle. "You go ahead and try that."

"People like you…unnatural and full of spite and hatred, you are a blemish on this world, a foul stain—"

"You." Kyuubi said, his voice shaking the roof and making Wolfwood stop and look for whom Kyuubi addressed, and found the smoldering gaze resting on Angel. "You are Stitch's…"

"Boochie-boo." Angel said, crouching down and bearing her fangs.

"Well then…you're mine."

"Oh, I don't know, Kyuubi-kun, I think this lovely young man would like a piece of you."

"Then I'll handle them both, and you can stay out of my way."

Orochimaru chuckled, his long, stringy black hair falling over one half of his face. "We'll see."

With an angry shout Wolfwood jerked the hand grasping the inner mechanisms and they heard the backside of the cross rattle open and suddenly he held a handgun out over the arm of the cross and was shooting directly at Kyuubi. Kyuubi's aura surged and manifested in his fiery rage, combusting the bullets completely before they even reached him.

Orochimaru slunk towards Angel along the shadows, creeping behind her easily with all the racket of bullets and raging fire distracting her. Besides, she figured Kyuubi was the greater threat and kept her eyes trained on him. He was behind her shortly, as he crouched low to avoid a stray bullet from Wolfwood's second hand gun, and the kunai was in his hand smoothly as he raised it, aiming for her spine—a paralyzing blow, nothing deadly unfortunately…

"I don't think so!" Kyuubi roared, and suddenly a rush of flame hit him square in the chest and pushed him back, alerting Angel and letting her scamper up Wolfwood's back, to take a re-assessment of the situation. Wolfwood paused as well, shocked that his opponent had just attacked it's partner. Orochimaru, adversely, seemed only a little amused as he healed back the pealing skin.

"Evil can not even appreciate itself." Wolfwood said softly, one half of his mouth curling in a disgusted sneer.

Orochimaru's throaty chuckle rose again. "On the contrary, we appreciate the challenge we present each other."

Wolfwood could make no response, Kyuubi was charging, claws raised and surrounded by his constant fire; his sights deadlocked on Angel, who was frantically whispering a plan in Wolfwood's ear. Wolfwood was crouched low behind his cross, shooting around it's massive frame, but the bullets had no affect on the fox-demon, and ran out all too soon—just as Kyuubi was bearing down on him. But then Kyuubi _kept _going down, landing on his face as the snake that had suddenly coiled around his ankle and tripped him writhed against the burns Kyuubi's defenses had given it, it had caused Kyuubi little harm, but the damage was done elsewhere. Wolfwood drew a new handgun, hoisted the massive body of the main cross and began running across the roof at an impressive sprint given his luggage and was far out of range by the time Kyuubi regained his footing. With a snarl he crushed the snake's head and then turned his glare to Orochimaru, but the ninja was already in pursuit of their opponents, halfway to the spot where Wolfwood had stopped, re-planted his gun and let angel climb to the top of it. Once there, she started to sing.

The sweet, delicate tune made Orochimaru stop in his tracks, wincing and bringing his hands to his ears. It sounded strange, even for its native non-sense language, backwards, somehow. It did not go as far into Kyuubi's brain as it did Orochimaru's, but it was enough to make his ears itch and sting and keep him where he was so long as her voice carried. He hated that it did even that much. She and her "cousins" were some of the things he hated most in all the worlds. Angry and cruel as he was, he was still a creature of nature, forged from its darkest parts to be sure, but natural nonetheless, fiercely so, in fact, as he lived off his instincts and urges. The sheer _un_naturalness of the experiments grated on his very being and contradicted him terribly. And this song, more so than anything else, held still more underlying opposition to his character that he could not quite discern under his current state of discomfort. Wolfwood was not firing; he was too wary of disrupting the spell Angel was casting, but his sights were trained solidly on Orochimaru, and he waited.

Angel's song ended in far too long a time for Kyuubi's ringing ears, and too soon for Wolfwood's liking, but the gunman and experiment were blessed still afterward as Kyuubi was distracted by the stillness that continued to hold Orochimaru. All three watched the shinobi between them as he twitched, and began to squirm, fighting something…inwards. Angel's song could not easily influence a mind so decidedly evil as Orochimaru's, but it had all her will behind it, and damned if it wasn't going to fight. Kyuubi didn't know all the abominations could do, but he began to make a few connections; slowly puzzling out what was happening within Orochimaru's psyche. But before he could snap in the last piece, Orochimaru went stone still for a split second and then turned swiftly and charged Kyuubi.

Kyuubi had barely time enough to register surprise before he was forced to dodge away from the blade of the sword that Orochimaru had drawn from his throat as he ran—a blade Kyuubi _had _to dodge because his aura had little to no effect on it. It wasn't that he couldn't beat it, certainly not, but he couldn't do it _easily. _And he wasn't surprised at the effect's Angel's song had induced, but rather at the fact that Orochimaru had succumbed. He had thought more of him.

The air was suddenly full of noise again, and bullets were whistling by at sound-breaking speed from Wolfwood's machine gun, and Kyuubi began a striking dance of evasion that seemed too graceful for his breed. Angel could not yet join the fray directly, as Kyuubi's aura would never have let her close enough to do combat with him (she did possess the same blessing in that vein as Stitch) so she bided her time and energy on Wolfwood's shoulder until Kyuubi was brought down and they'd have to turn on Orochimaru. Angel was honestly surprised and thrilled with the results of her charm. She hadn't known for sure if the song would put Orochimaru in a good-minded state strongly enough that he would forego the tournament to strike down Kyuubi instead, but apparently Kyuubi's reeking darkness was enough to make Orochimaru do just that. It had been her projected best-case scenario and the luck of the underdog seemed to have allowed just that.

Kyuubi seemed hardly perturbed, though, as he wove through the lines of Orochimaru's swings and deflected bullets with a light thought. He chuckled as he danced, enjoying the fact that he was actually on the defensive for once, but even though he needed to avoid attacking for the moment, it was still _his _game, and he would stitch this situation into a shape of his liking soon enough.

Wolfwood cut off his fire. He feared he was running low on bullets, and they had done nothing to aide him thus far, he needed to pause and make a plan while Orochimaru kept Kyuubi occupied. He watched them sternly, making quick calculations and trying to ponder out where the fight was going, where his opening would be. Just because Orochimaru's disposition had changed didn't mean he was any less cunning; as Wolfwood watched them Orochimaru herded Kyuubi steadily towards a corner, his blade coming closer and occasionally cutting momentary paths through Kyuubi's aura like a wind through mist. He watched a few moments more and then lifted his gun again, fingers flexing and testing their reflexes for that half-second he was waiting for.

Kyuubi was perhaps too sure of himself once Wolfwood stopped firing. He continued to stay on the evasive side of things, not wanting to risk a single hit from Orochimaru's blade but he forgot, with Orochimaru's new attitude, that his opponent was _still _Orochimaru, and was not attacking as he did for no purpose beyond keeping Kyuubi occupied. He was not used to being moved against his own will, and thus did not see it happening. Not until Orochimaru's blade made an unexpectedly sharp redirection of blow that would have been impossible for someone with _normal _joints, and when Kyuubi went to move away, he backed into a wall. The blade bit deep into his thigh making Kyuubi's aura flicker for a moment as he lost control. Wolfwood took that moment to fill him with lead.

As the bullets punctured his skin his blood hissed and smoke rose from the wounds as his demonic fluids burned and destroyed the foreign objects, soon creating a massive pillar of smoke around him as the bullets relentlessly rained in. Wolfwood had not made care to avoid Orochimaru, but the snake ninja had taken refuge behind a one of the many large, solid squares of concrete and steel that were the opening of the ventilation system within the mall. The firecracker roar of the machine gun was relentless, mixing with the sound of hissing and boiling demon sinews into a cacophony of chaos that offended the ear, and the smoke rising around Kyuubi smelled foully of burning and sulfur. But Wolfwood silently raged on, his aim deadlocked on the center of the smoky pillar until finally, after endless, aching minutes he ran out of ammo. And still he barely moved, watching sternly until he was positive the demon was beaten. He didn't even care if Kyuubi was dead; disqualification mattered little to him under the fear that should he not win, _he _would be the one lifeless come the end of the match.

The smoke thinned, and Wolfwood went pale. Kyuubi was still alive. Kyuubi was still _standing._ He had expected to at least impair the demon for a time, but Kyuubi was only perhaps crouched a little lower, centering himself for the healing to finish, as the last bullets hole hissed and closed. His clothes were all but gone, hanging in loose shreds about his shoulders and waist as testament to how dead he should have been—how hopeless the battle was. Kyuubi's aura rose around him again as he straightened, his nine tails lashing about furiously like a cat on the hunt, Wolfwood and Angel stood stuck, unable to move for shock and fear of the situation. Kyuubi lunged and Angel shrieked—but they were not Kyuubi's first target. His claws raked for Orochimaru's throat.

Wolfwood and Angel looked at each other in disbelief, relief thinly worn over sheer terror.

"Should we surrender?" Angel asked, looking slightly shamed at the suggestion.

Wolfwood looked up at where Kyuubi was fighting the ninja, a sadistic grin stretching his face as Orochimaru was suddenly in the position he had put Kyuubi in just moments before. He hated him more than any creature he had ever met. He was appalled and disgusted by the mere fact that he existed…but what could he do? Nothing if he was dead. It seemed the only way was—but what was that? Something not quite right, something off…it had caught his eye just a moment ago—there. Kyuubi's thigh where Orochimaru's sword had struck him. It was still bleeding. True, it was congealing far quicker than human blood would considering the continued strain Kyuubi was putting on it…but the bullet holes had healed in a second. A small smile lifted Wolfwood's mouth and Angel's expression became worried.

"No." Wolfwood replied. "There is a way, and I will use it…"

"Nala Krista! I can't—"

"Angel, I can't beat him alone. Let alone defeat Orochimaru after if Kyuubi doesn't finish him off. You can trust me to know what I'm doing and keep you safe, can I trust you to back me up?"

Angel paused, stared into his eyes for long moment and then slowly nodded. "Ih."

"Then keep him here as long as you can. I'll be back." Wolfwood then hoisted his gun and bolted for the door to the stairwell.

"Where are you going?" Angel called after him.

"Shopping." He replied over his shoulder, and was gone.

- - -

Kyuubi kicked Orochimaru's legs out from under him, and he fell hard to the ground. The demon then straddled him, growling fiercely and Orochimaru shook under the fiery gaze.

"Orochimaru," Kyuubi grumbled, strangely calmer than Orochimaru expected but the voice was never entirely void of malice, "It pains me to see you against your nature, being the only human to come close to the ways of my kind. And you have angered me much to put me through such an inconvenience. Go back to your old ways and return to yourself once more. I expel the curse." Then he grabbed Orochimaru by the face and set him on fire.

It was not a burning fire, it did not set him aflame in the physical sense, but it ripped through his soul and heart and seared out what should not be there without finesse or care, but rough and effectively as one's most inner workings should never be touched. Had Orochimaru not already foresworn that part of himself it would have probably killed him, but instead he merely screamed the truest scream that ever rode the wind and prayed to die.

It brought back things to the surface of his mind he had long since forgotten. The horrors and perversions that were done to him and made him become what he became. The things no one knew because he made himself forget, as he had been told. The corruption and the guilt he had felt at first when it began to consume him. The happiness he had long since abandoned and never looked back at—two smiling faces, seeming in his mind to look younger than they had in some few decades, and oh so happy. He had, once or twice, smiled with them. He remembered that now, and some part of him that was miniscule and could hardly be heard wailed and mourned at the memories.

And the next second he forgot it. All of it. His body could not stand to remember the pain, his mind could not comprehend what had happened to it, and his soul was locked away again. If he had kept the knowledge of those few seconds he would have never stopped screaming and shaking, never thought coherently again under the sheer _horror _of what had just happened. The human brain was good for that, locking away and hiding what cannot be handled, and Orochimaru was especially adept. So, he was left with merely a tingle throughout his body and for some un-known reason saltwater smudged on his cheeks.

"Well, Kyuubi, I do believe you just took advantage of me." Orochimaru chuckled.

Kyuubi scoffed and moved away. "Don't flatter yourself."

Kyuubi rose and turned towards his opponents, claws tensed and ready for blood, still wondering if he should have just torn Orochimaru to ribbons—and once he saw that Wolfwood and Angel were gone, he seriously wished he had. He growled and cursed them for the frustration, and himself for his foolishness. Well, they couldn't have gone far.

And in the next moment Orochimaru had his jaw near broken by a kick powered by the deceptively dense and skillful fuzzy pink creature, and when he went to counter she was already bounding around him to strike again. Kyuubi turned to strike Angel, but Orochimaru's body was positioned between them, as he exchanged brief blows with the experiment.

"Move!" He roared.

Orochimaru chuckled and began hand seals, the first of which consisted of a gesture Kyuubi was quite sure was part of no jutsu within the ninja realm.

"Fine." He hissed, and then rushed Orochimaru, grabbed his shoulders and threw him at Angel. The two of them tumbled into the railing along the perimeter, where they finally split, Orochimaru landing splayed against the railings, catching himself with his neck, which only saved him when he wrapped it in a panicked instinct completely around the rail and the sudden stop of momentum let him grab on with his arms. Angel went flying over the edge and disappeared.

Orochimaru pulled himself back onto the solid roof, gagging and rubbing his re-shortened and badly bruised neck. Kyuubi stalked past him and leaned over the railing, and found only the plain walls and the ground three stories down—all of which was specifically lacking the splattered innards of his opponent. He spat and scowled as he glared at the walls below, suspicious of every ledge and wavering shadow, as Orochimaru rose, gagging and groaning beside him.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Orochimaru rasped, hardly able to speak through a crushed windpipe.

In response Kyuubi gripped the railing and vaulted over the edge, landing on the narrow ledge of a windowsill, his claws raked into the walls, carving deep trenches in the painted concrete. He saw a flicker of pink around the corner of the walls as he descended, and was immediately in pursuit, clinging to the wall squirrel-like with claws and chakra, both of which left a cracked and crevassed path behind him as he sprinted sideways along the wall, shattering the windows he passed and making many a shop-owner and patron scream and lean out the window to search for the source of the destruction; but by the time anyone looked, all the was left was the fading trail of flame.

Angel survived by way of evasion, squeezing through what tight spaces she could find, slipping beneath ledges and twisting her path as much as possible—all just to keep Kyuubi _away_. Thankfully, Kyuubi was one of those who relished the hunt, and felt he had something to prove against her and her kind, and let the chase linger.

Orochimaru watched from the roof, following their chase closely, unsure if he wanted to jump in and add his hand to the game just yet—his throat was still burning sharply, after all. He was curious, of course, about the matter of where Wolfwood had disappeared off to; he judged his character to be one that would not easily give up on a battle that meant so much to him morally, but at the moment Orochimaru was more concerned with Angel and how to beat her—before Kyuubi did. So far it was seeming more dangerous to compete with Kyuubi in this manner than head-to-head, making it all the more enjoyable.

Angel's weaving path was starting to tire, as Kyuubi, being tireless, became more adapted to it, and started following more easily, and Angel, reaching desperation, was pushing herself further than was in any way healthy. But she had no other option. She had to trust her partner of barely an hour, and as much as she wanted to have faith in him and believe that he would never back out and sacrifice someone relying on him, there was a part of her that could not help but doubt, and it made her chest tighten and her mind race and buzzed in her ear as a dangerous distraction. That was more than likely what ran her around the corner into the abrupt dead-end. She had roughly half a second to come to a stumbling halt, stare in shock at the wall that she should have _known _was there, and realize by the growing heat and sense of dread that she was about to face her doom.

After that there was only a sudden jerk and wooshing air. For a few moments she thought she was falling down or flying up some tunnel to the afterlife, but then she slammed against concrete and she realized she was actually, and possibly unluckily, alive. She heard Kyuubi roar again, the walls cracking and groaning under the strain of Kyuubi's misplaced attack.

"OROCHIMARU!" Kyuubi bellowed, his voice making the very air shake with his rage.

Orochimaru retracted his tongue from around Angel's middle, rubbing the pink fur off his tongue as it returned. He smirked and leaned over the rail to look down at the fox demon simmering below.

"Yeeeeesssss?" He asked, letting his hair fall over his face in the creepiest Japanese school girl-way imaginable.

"I will rip that tongue out of your ninja-whore mouth." Kyuubi snarled.

"Getting a little childish aren't we? Am I getting under your skin?"

Kyuubi discarded articulation then, and with a fresh howl burst up the wall, claws and a ragged-toothed maw before him, reaching for Orochimaru's arteries. Orochimaru had completely expected that reaction, and was already well out of the way of the initial attack. The follow-up never came, when Kyuubi realized that Angel was gone again.

"I'll get you after the fight. And then there's nothing to stop me from _killing _you." Kyuubi snapped over his shoulder at Orochimaru.

"Except the fact that I am immortal." Orochimaru snickered.

"Not to me."

Kyuubi let the statement settle, his liquid amber eyes staring the ninja down, and then he turned around again, and headed after the scent and energy residue left in Angel's path. But the next moment a thunderclap filed the air and Kyuubi was flung onto his back and sent skidding across the roof, a trail of blood following. Orochimaru's eyes widened, flickering over the bright red stain in disbelief, and finally up to the origin of the wound, and his jaw dropped at the sight of Wolfwood, seeming no different than before, but with one of his pistols smoking in his right hand, that and his gaze still trained on Kyuubi, assessing the situation. There was a moment of stillness, and then Kyuubi's body heaved and slowly rose, blood dripping in thick clots as the wound on his left shoulder struggled to heal. The hole in his skin and muscle hissed and oozed, until the bullet was finally pushed out and clattered to the ground; but the wound still bled.

Half of Wolfwood's mouth lifted in a smirk, and his trigger hand tightened as he stepped out of the doorway to the stairwell.

"Come on demon." He growled. "Let's try this again."

Kyuubi crouched low, and as Wolfwood watched in petrified uncertainty Kyuubi became enveloped in a fresh aura of fire, and as if he had weaved his own womb his body seemed to disintegrate into the chakra and at the same moment reform. The air was filled with a horrible crackling and the sulfurous odor that burned and infected the lungs of any close enough to feel the heat of his fire. His maw widened, his body stretched and muscles twisted, his body was covered in wiry auburn fur, his limbs strangely spindly and long, and all the time the deadly, burning gaze of those two golden orbs didn't waver from Wolfwood for a single moment—and Wolfwood looked firmly back. When it was done Kyuubi stood grotesquely somewhere between his humanoid and fox shapes. He was still small and lean so as not to cave in the building beneath him, but his body was almost completely animal, aside from a few perversions of the human shape he still retained in his limbs to allow upright stance and subtly along the lines of his face. Wolfwood noted with small satisfaction that his wounds had not sealed, and still oozed repulsive substances.

Wolfwood lifted his cross and braced for the attack. Kyuubi readily obliged. The ground cracked behind Kyuubi as he ran, exposing metal supports and electrical wires that sprouted from the concrete like warped weeds. Wolfwood waited, unmoving, for the several seconds it took Kyuubi to draw near, and then shot a single bullet to the demon's right, which he dodged wide and gave Wolfwood the time to circle around to his flank and shoot again, forcing Kyuubi to move away and to the lower ground a few steps down the stairwell. He shot twice more; the first Kyuubi slipped against the wall to evade, but the other was already on its path to meet him there and dug into his hip above the wound Orochimaru had given him earlier. When Kyuubi dropped to his knees to cradle the wound, Wolfwood fired the last bullet in the round into his neck, and then darted behind another of the ventilation shafts to grab a second gun off the arms of the cross.

There were six bullets in the cylinder of this pistol; six shots to save his life and put an end to Kyuubi's sadistic tyranny. And should any of the six fail him, he was perfectly aware he was forfeiting his life.

When he had left Angel he had gone below, and began his mad dash down the seemingly endless halls in search of a shop, _any _shop that could supply what he needed—but most importantly, in time to keep Angel alive. He had been blessed enough to find a shop that claimed to sell ammunition for every purpose not far down the second hall, and burst inside. A few people were crowded around and speaking to a short, spindly man near the back but the moment he saw Wolfwood the man shooed them all away and hobbled up to him.

"You're fighting this round aren't ye son?" He had asked, peering up at him through half-moon glasses.

"Yes sir." Wolfwood had panted in response, and the man's expression had grown clouded—everyone was terrifyingly aware that this fight was Kyuubi's. "Quickly, a round for my machine gun and any bullets that can wound a demon, if you possess them."

"Aye, my lad." He replied and began towards the back, gesturing toward the machine-gun round on the way. "I have that. But the substance used is rarer than anything you've ever seen; I don't have many."

When he reached the back wall he tottered behind the counter and pulled a small wooden box down from the highest shelf within his hunch-backed reach and opened it to show twelve bullets than shone silver, set into small holes in the wooden block within. They filled only three quarters of the spaces, and Wolfwood wondered for only a brief moment what the missing bullets had been used for, and then felt his throat dry as he realized that the small amount of bullets sold must have cost the lining of the purchaser's pocket.

He had pulled his wallet from his pocket and emptied its contents. "How many will that buy me?" He had asked.

The man had examined the papers and coins for a moment, lips pursed and his knobby fingers adjusting his glasses curiously, and his eyes kept flickering to Wolfwood's face, examining him shrewdly. Wolfwood had made a fairly large sum of money on his way there, more than the common man ever dreamed of, but he could see by the evidence that he was still very likely coming up short for his needs.

"This and the promise to use each one to cause that damned creature some pain will get you the lot." He had finally said.

Wolfwood was speechless a moment, well aware that the actual money probably accounted for all of two bullets, and just as he was about to give his thanks the walls shook massively and the window shattered inward, following but a tongue of flame that licked over the sill briefly before fizzling out. Wolfwood had grabbed the bullets and bolted out the door, his thanks shouted over his shoulder as he went. The salesman had merely dropped to his knees and prayed.

Wolfwood mirrored him now, clasping his hands briefly and then signed the cross and hoisted the trigun once more. Kyuubi had stopped writhing, he heard only a faint dripping and hissing of wounds, and he seemed for the moment to be staying where he was. He didn't hear Orochimaru either, but judging by the ninja's reactions so far, he would continue waiting until he was forced to join or the perfect opportunity arose. He was worried for Angel, as he hadn't seen her since returning, but the lack of a body gave him more hope than fear, and he clung to that.

Suddenly the ventilation shaft hissed and exhaled a plume of dust and lint, making Wolfwood jump minutely. It was good cover, he would use it to restart the fight, taking the blessing of surprise he had been given. He rose and spun around the corner—directly into the waiting maw of the fox demon. With an explosive curse he raised the cross just in time to block Kyuubi's snapping jaws, and then immediately had to knock Kyuubi's claws aside with the barrel of his handgun. They began twisting around each other, through the settling dust, Wolfwood doing all he could to keep the bulk of his gun between him and Kyuubi, and Kyuubi's pure, raging force searching for every opening in the defense. What strikes Kyuubi did find Wolfwood deflected with his handgun, but every time the demonic aura so much as brushed him it left him feeling as though his skin were rotting off, his insides twisting around themselves in repulsion at the creature. He needed distance. He needed it _now. _

As Kyuubi struck for his face, claws splayed in an attempt to grab the skin and pull it from his skull, Wolfwood dug the barrel into his palm and fired. The bullet shattered through his hand and ripped his ear, sending him howling a few steps back; and giving Wolfwood exactly the time he needed to gain his distance once more. As Kyuubi clutched his ear Wolfwood aimed and fired at his knees, one landing true to the joint and the other flying a little low and hitting his shin, but they did the job and brought Kyuubi to the ground once more. Wolfwood had learned by now to deny Kyuubi even a moment to reassemble himself, and charged forward again, smacking the demon in the shoulder and head with the longest end of the cross, sending him to his back, where he pinned him with the cross and then stood above him and shot twice into the forehead and once into the heart—just for good measure.

Kyuubi didn't roar, didn't writhe, he lay still, not so much as a twitch to quiver his skin. His aura faded, and jaw fell slack, but Wolfwood waited, keeping the gun pressed against his chest, pinning him to the roof that was soaked in dark blood around the demon.

Orochimaru watched from his perch on an elevated piece of roof where the mall began to grow in levels, stunned into inaction. It would have been the perfect time to slip a kunai into Wolfwood's back, but the mere fact that Kyuubi was down and bleeding made a small kernel of fear settle in his stomach and keep him still for a few moments more.

Wolfwood waited for as long as he could, and his patience would have endured longer had not he been frightfully aware of his second opponent waiting somewhere among the late-noon shadows. He lifted the trigun and slowly retreated, keeping his eyes on Kyuubi's body until he finally turned to seek out Orochimaru. He wound through the shadows, turning towards every subtle movement, expecting an attack and hoping to find Angel, but the air was always empty.

Then there was a definite movement, higher, one level up and passing between shadows. He quickened his pace, and slunk to a ladder placed along the wall. He climbed it slowly, having to counter the uneven balance of the gun in one hand, but he made it up mostly soundlessly, and pressed his back to the wall of the next level, as they stacked closely at the point. He sidestepped along the wall, following the likely path of his target, his keen eyes seeking out the denser shadows, the vague flicker of movement that would give him his shot.

There.

He fired a two-second round from the machine gun, and then cursed as the swaying gutter-pipe fell to pieces and clattered to the lower roof. He waited for a while after that, frustrated that he had given away his position on a foolish mistake. He couldn't deny it; Kyuubi had worn him down. He had nothing left in him; he would have to rely almost entirely on divine will to win this.

The shadows swayed again. This time he paused before moving in, gun poised but not firing until he was positive, until he saw the face of his opponent. He moved in slowly, fingers itching and his palm and brow still slick with sweat. He was used to the tension of a face-off, used to the pulsing adrenaline, he sunk into it easily, falling into the motions he had been trained to know so well. He paused before the next shadows, and his eyes picked out the denser shape of a body within the darkness, pressed against the wall, hidden well, but not fully enough. He slowly, silently aimed the barrel of his machine gun, his finger tightened—and then he was all ice as the feeling of hot breath tickled own his neck.

He spun around, prepared to follow through and crash the barrel of the gun into Orochimaru's side and pin him to the wall, but when he saw the bullet-riddled Kyuubi standing there, he faltered, and Kyuubi caught the gun and pulled Wolfwood in close. He has bleeding from the side of his head, and from two places on his forehead, his snarling face was ill-controlled and fell askew because of it, and as Kyuubi brought it within a breath of Wolfwood's the gun-man felt all his strength leave him in the horror of it. The demon's breath was rancid, and Wolfwood went pale and his head began to spin.

"You can hurt me all you like." Kyuubi spat, the acidic blood flecking Wolfwood's cheeks. "I will never die. I only become a greater nightmare."

With that Kyuubi's aura raged anew, and he tossed Wolfwood aside, sending him tumbling down to the main roof level again, and relishing in the sound of his elbow cracking as it collided with the ground. Beside the slowly-healing demon Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, sniggering and peering down at the writhing man below.

"If I had wanted to truly hide, you would have never found me, Wolfwood-chan." He called. "You were foolish not to see the trap."

"There was no trap." Kyuubi snarled, spiting blood down Orochimaru's neck and shirt. "You were merely an advantage. I will never have _need _of you."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Finish him off then."

Kyuubi spat a fresh stream of blood to the ground, gagging slightly and pressing a hand over the wound in his chest, forcing a faster regeneration. Then he shook himself and jumped down the wall, growling as he landed on his still-healing bullet-cracked legs. Wolfwood had propped himself up, and was trying to pull himself towards where his gun had landed, but as his hand was stretching toward the handle, Kyuubi's claws grabbed his ankle and drew him back, lifting him by the throat and snarling into his face once more.

"You were far more trouble than you're worth, human." He grumbled. "Your death will be on a scale of pain to match that."

Wolfwood gasped for breath, grappled with the hand that was slowly collapsing his windpipe in desperation, but he was helpless and could feel death reaching for him. And then a bolt of pink flashed before his eyes, and collided with the arm holding him, and with a foreign cry that sounded intensely insulting Angel bit as hard as she could on Kyuubi's wrist. The demon would have normally scarcely felt it, but his defenses were worn, and the sheer offense of it caused him to loosen his grip. Wolfwood fell to the ground hacking for breath.

Kyuubi shook angel off and then leered down at her. "And you…you and your kind…I will put out your repugnant light with joy."

To that Angel blew a raspberry and was off again. Kyuubi gave chase with a bellow and once more found himself trailing after her, but this time with far more intent towards the end.

Orochimaru sighed and jumped lightly to the roof level Wolfwood was on, and then clucked his tongue as Wolfwood grabbed his gun and held it towards Orochimaru, his hand shaking violently with the effort to keep it up in his weakened state.

"Poor child your aim will never land true with a shake like that." He tutted.

Wolfwood simply steeled his jaw and fired. Orochimaru laughed as he easily danced around the bullets, making a graceful arc along the perimeter of the roof, staying tauntingly close yet well out of the stream effortlessly and adding flair just to pique his opponent. One round didn't last long and too soon Wolfwood was out of bullets.

"I told you boy," Orochimaru said, perching on the railing. "No aim, no gain."

"Sometimes you don't need aim." Wolfwood replied hoarsely.

Then, mustering whatever strength his muscles had left he flipped the gun over, primed it in one quick, fluid motion, and before Orochimaru could be puzzled over his actions, he had fired the rocket. Orochimaru gaped, cursed and then the rocket exploded into the ground just below him and he was sent tumbling over the edge.

Wolfwood let the gun fall to the ground, panting heavily to get air past his constricted windpipe, but he refused to faint, couldn't let himself give in. Angel would never win on her own against Kyuubi. He had to—

But the thought couldn't finish, as suddenly a grotesquely long, slick muscle shot over the edge of the collapsed wall, grabbed him around the neck and flipped him over the side. He was out cold before the impact and further breaking of bones could ever register. And though he was full of anger and frustration at his failure there was a part of him that embraced the darkness and fell into it gladly.

Orochimaru peered down at him from where he clung by chakra to the wall of the Mall of the World, and raised his eyebrows.

"What an obnoxious little man." He murmured, and set to climbing up.

- - -

Kyuubi chased Angel along the debris-ridden obstacle course the roof had become, crashing through the rubble she twisted around, chasing her like a hound, relentlessly, never giving her so much as pause for thought. His natural instincts could far outstrip hers, he was certain of that; if it came down to a true hunt she would have no hope. But she had already known her strategy long before the chase began and at the first ventilation shaft she came to she kicked through the grate and jumped down, soaring through the tight space with the relief of time bought. But Kyuubi would fight her for every second. He punched a hole through the roof, drawing screams from the patrons below and the pulled himself through. He found that this was a main junction of the ventilation system, and several shafts split from a hub at this point, and unfortunately with all the air circulating through them her scent was mingled and hard to discern, nor did she make any clatter with her passage. He crouched in the middle of the mall floor, simmering and feeling the air with his diffusing aura as what unfortunates had been near screamed and ran in horror. Her trail was too scattered, too vague, and Kyuubi was, though he would never have admitted it, tired, so with a fresh roar he jumped up again, clinging to the ceiling and beginning to tear the pipes down. He ripped them from the ceiling with such force that the entire system began to crumble, and sure enough he caught a flash of pink scrambling to stay within a solid portion and he bolted for it. He reached her and thrust his snarling maw in to snap her leg, but she kicked him hard and cracked a tooth and then with a high-pitched shriek launched at his face and began pummeling him with all her might, ignoring the agitation of his aura for the sake of hitting him. He was stunned for a moment, letting it continue, but then with a massive jerk of his head he flipped her in the air and chomped down on her, teeth crunching awfully along her midsection, and then in pure animal ecstasy he shook her and then threw against the far wall—where Death by Chocolate caught her, and announced loudly, his gaze trained hatefully on Kyuubi;

"Angel and Wolfwood have fainted. The match is over!"

The sense of relief for the round to be finished was tangible in the air of the mall, as was the oppressing sense of disparagement that Kyuubi and Orochimaru were not yet beaten.

Kyuubi snarled at the knowledge that Orochimaru had finished off Wolfwood, and glared at Death by Chocolate with unmistakable homicidal intent, but the host merely scowled and left to get Angel to the medic.

- - -

Orochimaru found Kyuubi by the fountain they had spoken at when their team was announced, though now the water was brackish and unclean from blood washed into it, and the flow seemed slower, as if oppressed by its new contents. It no longer reflected the light pouring in, leaving only a morbid stream of dying sunlight to fall upon Kyuubi's reclined form on the edge and cast disturbing shadows over the entire scene. Kyuubi was in his mostly human form again, thought not yet re-clothed, and though it was not tangible the air was thick with his aura as it repaired and re-energized him.

"Celebrating the victory with a little dip, are you? You should have invited me." Orochimaru said, smirking.

Kyuubi did not reply, but Orochimaru did not miss the subtle tightening of his jaw, and as always relished in his mockery.

"So, I noticed all of the ammunition stores are burned out. Isn't that a little ironic?" Orochimaru continued.

A small growl formed at the back of Kyuubi's throat, and Orochimaru subconsciously fluttered a hand over the bruise along his neck.

"They say both our opponents will recover. Our bet goes on it seems…funny though, how that one man turned out to be such a pain."

Kyuubi sat up sharply. "You prattle too much. I have not forgotten the threat I made to you."

"Come now, my tongue does far too much good to remove it. And you'd waste too much time trying to pull it to its end."

Kyuubi grumbled, glowering at the ninja. "Speaking of doing good…why is it that when I went to expel that damned creature's curse from you I felt _nothing _leave your mind?"

Orochimaru sat stiff a moment, observing Kyuubi, and when he didn't seem too horribly hostile he smirked and said. "Nothing wrong with having a little fun, is there?"

Kyuubi's growling response held a higher, moaning note and then he laid on his side again, staring down at the clotted ripples as they lapped the walls of the fountain basin, one more stain the Kyuubi left on the world.


	5. Second Interlude

"You're next opponent is doomed."

Orochimaru breathed the premonition from where he lay on the bed of the infirmary. He had avoided it for a while, but finally Kabuto had insisted he needed the care and, with Kyuubi following for the sake of finishing his disagreement, had brought him here where there was enough strange medicine that Kabuto trusted the nurses would know what to do. Kyuubi had had to grab a new outfit, and was now garbed in a getup of a red button-down shirt and black leather pants, with a dramatic black trench coat to compete the outfit, it was strangely modern on him, but was just as imposing as his traditional clothing. Kyuubi was currently leaning in close to Orochimaru face, teeth bared, exposing his anger just enough to prove his point, but Orochimaru remained unfazed where he lay below him, smirking.

"Kyuubi-sama," Kabuto said, not brave enough to try and pull the demon back, and still he shook slightly at addressing the demon directly. "My master needs rest before his next round, please step outside."

Kyuubi turned his head slightly, his narrowed yellow eyes burrowing into Kabuto's until he felt his eyeballs would be scorched out of their sockets by the poisonous gaze. But Kabuto was no stranger to terrifying and disturbing instances, and having reason to believe Kyuubi wouldn't kill him he felt safe enough to endure and wait for Kyuubi to straighten and head for the door. Kabuto followed him, clearing his throat lightly as they stepped outside to indicate he wished to say more though he was not brave enough to do so without Kyuubi's allowance.

"What?" Kyuubi snapped, turning sharply.

"I…have been wondering, Kyuubi-sama…how did you even _get_ here?" Kabuto asked. "And…how is you and my master are so comfortable together?"

Kyuubi considered Kabuto for a moment, and the medic ninja worried for a moment that for some arbitrary reason he had offended the demon and would neither get his answer not escape unharmed. But then Kyuubi chuckled softly, and his posture relaxed slightly.

"You are a highly perceptive boy…no wonder Orochimaru keeps you near." He took a step towards Kabuto. "Well, to answer your second question…Just before Orochimaru left Konoha…well, some time before I suppose, through your perception of time…he was on a one-man mission. He went alone because it was a miniscule task during a turbulent time and he had the skills to handle it, but I'm certain fate played a hand as well." Kabuto found Kyuubi was being rather eloquent, and wondered what about this story brought him to that. "And on this mission, he stumbled off the path, following the aura he had felt ever since entering the forest he travelled through, I don't know how or why he happened to walk the right steps that led him on the path towards his destiny, but he did. And do you know where that path ended that day, Kabuto?" Kabuto's eyes widened in shock at the half-revelation forming in his mind, but did not speak, seeing the amusement in Kyuubi's eyes as he re-lived the story, and let him tell it on his own, as he wanted.

"Me." Kyuubi grumbled, the word spreading his lips into a grin. "He found _me_. Buried deep in a cavern, hibernating until I chose to wake and eat and live again. He was ambitious, even then, and thought to see what he could do with bit of my blood. He did not expect me to awake upon the slightest touch." The grin widened. "Do you know what happens when a demon wakes, Kabuto?" Kabuto shook his head mutely, still gawking. "A small explosion of sorts, our excess energy lighting and beginning to burn. It hit your precious master like a wave and overtook him. Only for a moment, hardly worth acknowledging in the span of time, but it was enough. His spirit had been touched by a demon; sanity can never be fully regained from that point." Kyuubi paused for effect before continuing, his tone musing. "Of course, that is probably also a large part of why he and I have the interactions we do. Having been brunt by me he feels a connection he can't fully understand, and acts on it as he is used to acting on relationships…" Kyuubi sighed and then continued, returning from his digression with a casual tone;

"From there we had a conversation. I was still tired and he was more awed than ever. I told him there would be punishment, he would offer me something in return for waking me before I wished; someone's life would have to be forfeit. He asked if he could be granted a favor in return for a larger sacrifice. It amused me that his mind would work in that twisted way, I knew my chakra alone had not corrupted him so far; he had never been quite human. I was curious, and allowed him to ask. He said he wanted immortality. He said he would do anything if I could tell him just one thing, one clue about how to get it. I asked what he could offer. He told me I could have his village. For that, I gave him one thought, a mere idea to build on, but it was of a vein that would have disturbed and destroyed the minds of anyone who was still human. But from that thought, he built what he is now. So, ironically, what you blamed me for, he was at fault for, and at the heart of what you thought to be his fault, was me."

Kyuubi finished, and let Kabuto absorb the revelations he had made. He waited, as Kabuto's brow furrowed and his mouth quivered in search for words to respond with, but he seemed entirely at a loss. He searched Kyuubi's face as if desperate for a sign that there was some falsehood in the story he had just told him, but his smirk and stance were solid and confident. Finally he swallowed, and asked softly;

"And…how did you get here?"

Kyuubi chuckled, "I think you've heard more than enough for one day. Go tend to your master and try not to think to hard about what I told you. What happened is what happened, the reasons for it make no difference."

Kabuto watched him turn and go, walking away with a sort of dark satisfaction in his gait. Kyuubi was perfectly aware that Kabuto would never be able to fully understand what he had said, never be able to comprehend how differently his world had come to be than what he had assumed for so long.

As he stalked the hallways the patrons of the mall scampered from his path, never daring to look at his face, much less meet his gaze. This was how it should be. He was in complete control of this place. He had not been able to exercise his power in so long—this was wonderfully refreshing. He was well aware of Death by Chocolate's gaze on him at all times, but he didn't believe that the lesser demon could honestly do anything to stop him from winning. He knew why Death by Chocolate feared his victory, and saw no reason to alleviate his worry. When the time came, he knew Death would do exactly as he asked—whether he liked it or not.

He paused, and looked up at the walk-way the passed over the hallway he was haunting. Standing there was an old man, dressed in red robes that were half-covered by his excess of white hair. Kyuubi met his gaze firmly, meaning to intimidate, and managed not to show his surprise when the man returned the stare evenly. They remained in a dead-locked staring contest, Kyuubi pouring intensity into his glare, and his opponent staying unfalteringly calm. After an achingly long few minutes, Kyuubi chuckled softly and shifted his weight into a more comfortable stance.

"What's your name human?" he asked.

"Roku." The man replied. "And you are the demon Kyuubi."

Kyuubi's smiled darkened. "Indeed."

Whatever conversation might have ensued was cut off by the sudden crackle of speakers and suddenly Death's voice was booming throughout the mall. Kyuubi and Roku continued staring at each other as the first few match-ups were announced, and the energy between them grew tangibly thicker as he said;

"And now for the match-ups of our semi-finalists! Roku versus Sylar!" Roku's face became tense, and then he turned and left, and Kyuubi remained standing there as Death by Chocolate finished; "And Kyuubi Versus Orochimaru."

Orochimaru could hear Kyuubi's dark laughter echo smoothly down the hallway to where he lay being treated. Kabuto looked to him, his face chalk white, and Orochimaru merely closed his eyes and smiled.


	6. Vs Orochimaru

Kyuubi vs. Orochimaru

The air was thick with the smell of brimstone and poison, even if Orochimaru's throat wasn't being crushed by an iron grip he would have been struggling to breathe. It burned his lips and nostrils, as the air rattled passed his slowly compressing windpipe. His hands still clung to Kyuubi's wrist, his nails imbedded in the demon's skin, but he no longer had the strength to attempt prying the claws off his neck, they merely hung there as a weak protest. The searing pain of his broken bones no longer even reached his brain, all he felt was the pinching, constantly tightening grip around his neck, and the infecting burn of demon chakra that was the only thing he could suck into his lungs.

Blood splattered onto the ground, thick and dark. There was so much blood, so much life draining onto the dirt and ash. As he heard it drop to the ground and bubble and sizzle in reaction to the burning world Orochimaru smiled.

It was not his blood.

- - -

Several Hours Earlier

- - -

Kyuubi and Orochimaru had a strange sort of relationship between them. Considering that most people died or went incomprehensibly insane after touching minds with a demon, it made sense that one of the five humans to ever survive and endure it would have gained the privilege (or the curse) of being an acquaintance of a tolerable sort to the demon by whom he had been scorched. Orochimaru was possibly the only human currently alive that could say he had the faintest inkling as to how the demonic mind worked, and also one of the only to remain alive after pissing a demon off more than once. Unfortunately for him, a demon's memory never falters, and every misstep he managed to survive built upon every other one and festered in Kyuubi's mind and gave him one more reason not to let the next one slide.

However, for being the brilliant ninja he was, there were some moments during which he could be quite stupid. Almost every moment he spent with Kyuubi was one of them. Orochimaru was too confident in his immortality and his smooth wit, and he was so accustomed to looking down on the people around him he forgot to distinguish one from the other and unwisely used the same attitude with all of them. Kyuubi did not appreciate that. No one would, but most people couldn't rightly say Orochimaru _wasn't _above them. For the most part Kyuubi let Orochimaru's attitude slide for the sheer amusement in the fact that Orochimaru honestly believed Kyuubi couldn't kill him as easily as he very well could. And because of their supernatural connection Kyuubi was more inclined to be tolerant of Orochimaru's human misconceptions. But that was as far as Kyuubi's tolerance stretched; under the current stress he gave no leeway for ego.

Orochimaru knew that. He was well aware of Kyuubi's current attitude, and how much he had riding on this tournament, and how short his fuse currently was. He just didn't care. He enjoyed seeing how far he could push people, and Kyuubi's reactions were always the best and biggest.

So as he and Kyuubi sat on the imported ruins of an ancient temple in the west wing, Orochimaru folded into a window-circle and Kyuubi lounging over a half-collapsed stairway. They spoke little but the tension between them was tangible. Orochimaru twisted a strand of his hair amusedly around his index finger, a small smirk on his face as he watched Kyuubi brood beneath him. Orochimaru had joined him he there not long after leaving the medical ward, and Kyuubi had not moved since, aside from the angry flicking of his tails. Kyuubi was ready to kill, and that made it all the worse, and Orochimaru could push his buttons without a second thought by now—which in itself was enough annoyance that he didn't need to do _any_thing. Kabuto hovered in and out, waiting nervously for their round to begin, but they were the last fight of the day, and the other fighters were taking longer than before, driving this fight's beginning into dusk. Orochimaru just chuckled and frayed Kabuto's nerves even further with his sheer indifference.

Kabuto had just walked back into the ruins for the umpteenth time when the announcement of the previous fight's end echoed down the hall and Kabuto practically jumped out of his skin. Orochimaru looked up, dropping the strand of hair, and Kyuubi's tails went suddenly still.

"And now ladies and gentlemen!" Death's voice boomed, adding softly, "Those of you left…Kyuubi vs. Orochimaru!"

Kabuto hadn't even looked back at Orochimaru before he had to fall flat to the ground to dodge a flying piece of stone that had been thrown from the wall of the ruins where Kyuubi had slammed into it in pursuit of Orochimaru as he dashed from his cubby. Kyuubi broke through the wall, utterly destroying the priceless antiquity with one burst of energy. He and Orochimaru were on a break-neck chase through the mall instantly, jumping from wall to wall, dodging around and breaking through kiosks, shattering windows and the bridges over the waterway with their exchanged blows as they chased each other through the halls. Kyuubi knocked aside shuriken with ease, mostly letting them ping off his aura without so much as blinking, but on occasion catching one and chucking it back at the ninja. Orochimaru chuckled as he ducked under a bridge connecting two shops that sold bird cages and fishnets, through which Kyuubi bulldozered a moment latter, sending it in chunks of marble and concrete to the path below, sending the few unsuspecting patrons that had lingered in the mall screaming for the safety of the indoor shops.

Kyuubi was not even running at full speed, he knew Orochimaru knew Kyuubi could outrun him easily if he wished, and thought that the ninja must have already planned for that. This was a suitable battle style for now; he would wait to see where Orochimaru took him. They made it clear across the mall in only a few minutes, and ended up at the athletic wing, where there was a fully stocked and high-tech gym set up for members of a special club. One wall was entirely glass, looking out on the Olympic-size swimming pool, and just past that was the resort pool, an oval pit with circular stands poking up at random like marble islands, the whole thing the size of a small lake. Orochimaru barreled through the walls and into the exercise equipment as if they were paper cutouts and not million-dollar pieces of equipment. Kyuubi broke his own way in, grabbed two fifty-pound weights and hurled them at Orochimaru with enough force to send the ninja crashing through the window and plummeting into the far end of the lap pool. Kyuubi climbed into the frame of the window, ignoring the small shards of broken glass littering the sill, and folded his arm to wait. It wasn't long before Orochimaru's hand sprouted from the water, got a chakra-grip of the surface and heaved him heavily out of the pool so he stood on the water, hunched over and panting, an amused smile on his face.

"Having fun, Kyuubi-kun?" He asked, cocking his head back in a strange, twisted angle.

A low rumble gathered at the back of Kyuubi's throat. "I've been waiting for this."

"I know."

"It is a shame, you know." He said, stepping down from the window frame, crunching the scattered glass beneath his feet. "That new rule isn't going to do any good for either of us."

"Oh?" Orochimaru twisted his head to the other shoulder. "And why not?"

"For one, Kabuto wont be able to provide any help."

"You think so?"

Kyuubi smirked, and then with one deathly smooth movement reached around the window frame, snatched Kabuto by the shoulder and dragged him out of his hiding place. Then he gripped him by the back of the head and slammed his face into the glass-dusted ground so hard he was instantly unconscious, and blood pooled beneath his head.

"I do." Kyuubi said, standing again. "And everyone else hates _both_ of us."

Orochimaru tutted, pursing his lips in mock sympathy. "Do turn him on his side so he doesn't drown in his own blood."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and kicked Kabuto up onto his right side and let him slump there, looking terribly pitiful, his glasses carved into the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. Orochimaru and Kyuubi gave him no more notice from there, and locked eyes once more, burning to get some violence started.

"So from here, snake, it's just you and me." Kyuubi said, crouching low and grinning wide so all his deadly teeth were bared.

"It seems that way." Orochimaru agreed and then grabbed a kunai from his belt and chucked it at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi crouched low and exploded forward, flying beneath the kunai easily on his path to Orochimaru, but just as he was about to tackle Orochimaru the ninja released the chakra on his feet and fell into the pool, leaving Kyuubi skidding off-balance to a halt upon the strip of land between the two pools. He only had a moment to ponder why Orochimaru remained below the surface before the exploding tag on the kunai detonated and the rest of the wall connecting the pool and exercise room was ripped to pieces and flung in a massive orb of destruction in all directions. Kyuubi cursed as he punched a piece of flying debris off course and away from his face, and shouldered another chunk without flinching, but he had to brace himself and focus on avoiding the shrapnel long enough to let Orochimaru burst from the water and, riding in the shadow of the last of the explosion, land behind Kyuubi and knock him in the back of the head with his elbow and scratch his side with a kunai. The kunai was all but useless, not even strong enough to create a wound that was visible between the time it was made and healed. The only testament to its existence was the slash in Kyuubi's jacket.

"Damn it all, and I was going to take that jacket off you after I won too." Orochimaru grumbled as he jumped over Kyuubi's kick to his hip and landed out of range of Kyuubi's martial attacks.

"This is no time for you to be making jokes, Orochimaru." Kyuubi snarled.

"I'm afraid I never could tell about these things." Orochimaru snickered, and then cocked his head back, lengthening his neck as a low hiss escaped his throat.

Kyuubi growled, and then with a massive spring he charged Orochimaru, clothes-lining him as he burst past, and bringing them both crashing into the oval pool, hitting the shallow bottom hard and breaking apart to swim separately away and to the surface. Kyuubi slammed his hand on the surface, pulling his body free with a flip, landing hard and deep in the water, using it like a trampoline to spring at Orochimaru and grab him by the neck and flip over, smacking him onto one of the platforms, and then swinging his body around so he crouched on top of him, one knee in his belly, his hand pressing down hard on his shoulders.

"You don't seriously think I'd just stand there and let you bring out that sword do you?" Kyuubi growled. "I'm no fool."

Then he punched Orochimaru in the jaw until he heard it crack twice and it hung lopsided and gushing blood. Orochimaru's eyes bulged in anger, and his shout came out in a bloody gurgle, a few teeth tumbling out of his mouth. He clawed Kyuubi's face, his legs flailing in suddenly fired protest, and finally he pulled a new tag out of his belt, and slapped it on Kyuubi's cheek. He felt some satisfaction as part of Kyuubi's face splattered into his hair and the demon fell sideways, howling and roaring as he pitched into the pool. Orochimaru slowly climbed to his feet, as several meters away Kyuubi pulled himself onto another platform, and slowly turned to glare over his shoulder at Orochimaru from his re-forming eye, around which bones and sinews were spider-webbing and thickening, remaking his face like a cloth on a loom. Orochimaru returned the stare as he gripped his jaw and with a few deep breaths knocked it as close to back in place as his crude method would allow. He hocked up a large clot of blood and spat it into the pool, already streaked with the black ooze from Kyuubi's veins. Kyuubi's lip curled back in a growl, and he lowered down to all fours, his claws digging into the marble platform and sending cracks along the surface in deep, angry gullies. When sprung he away the platform crumbled behind him, falling in pieces into the pool, sending violent waves through the water. Orochimaru leapt to meet Kyuubi in midair, where they collided and tangled, nails and claws flailing, their momentum jerked off-course so they fell to the water once more. They smacked onto the surface hard, tumbling on the surface half-submerged, each trying to maintain enough chakra to stay up but little enough to drown the other. Orochimaru's blood spotted the water, as Kyuubi tore more skin from his body, but it was mostly his top layer, and he reformed it smoothly. Finally Orochimaru planted a foot in Kyuubi's gut and pushed off hard enough to get him airborne and shove Kyuubi underwater.

As Orochimaru flipped over and aimed his decent at a small island, he watched where Kyuubi had submerged, and saw with some fear a whirlpool beginning to swirl there. It sent the whole pool into a frothing fit, eventually hitting and opening at the ground, spinning around the angry fireball that was Kyuubi. His skin was peeling and eyes and teeth bulging, he was in half-fox form once more, but there was something more horrible in this body. It twitched and foamed from the places where the fur and skin burned and split, his fur was slicked black with the blood that seeped from his veins and squelched onto the ground, his long, sharp fingers flexed in time with his thrashing tails, his teeth ground into his gums, painting his mouth a rancid, clotted black. Orochimaru didn't know what this difference meant, or what he had done to bring it out, but he did know exactly how to handle it.

When Kyuubi's rattling, shrill and yet still thundering howl shook Orochimaru from his shocked trance he instantly sprung to action—and ran. The water frothed beneath him, making it difficult to create footholds, but being exceptionally skilled and newly desperate as he was, Orochimaru managed it. That was, until it caught fire. He was so unwilling to believe the ridiculousness of it for a moment he didn't fully realize the fire spilling towards him along the _water._ When he finally did he hardly had time to spring up into the air, tumble over the line racing towards him and land safely on one of the marble platforms. But then Kyuubi was bearing down on him, that howl more terrible than any noise in nature ripping from his throat, and Orochimaru in a panic took to the air again, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow that shattered the platform behind him. The fire Kyuubi had set upon the pool was not a full blanket, it spread like a net, crisscrossing and shifting with the waves and bending to Kyuubi's will. Orochimaru managed to survive by landing briefly on open pockets and platforms, springing around the pool blindly, searching for the way out over the death-pit this pool was fast becoming. But with the raging fire and the necessity to place all of his focus primarily on where he was landing in the next jump, never mind which path to take, Orochimaru feared he could just as well be spinning circles. But so long as he was avoiding Kyuubi he didn't really mind.

That brought his attention on another fact. Why hadn't Kyuubi caught him yet? He wasn't exactly at his craftiest at that moment, Kyuubi honestly should have been able to catch and destroy him by this point. Spurred by this thought he risked pausing after his next jump just long enough to add a double burst of strength into his next spring and with a mighty heave he made it to the ceiling where he clung, and twisted his head back to look for Kyuubi. What he saw would have, had his jaw not still been shattered, brought a smile to his face. Kyuubi was jumping around the pool, destroying what got in his way, leaving a trail of fresh fire behind him, a massive ball of total fury but without method or reasoning. He should have seen Orochimaru spring up here and followed him by now, but he was on a blind rampage of pure wrath. Terrifying, yes, but in the end a better situation than Kyuubi when he was in a good mood. Kyuubi had lost control, pushed to edge by too many small annoyances, and getting his face half-destroyed must have been the metaphorical straw on his back. Kyuubi simply wasn't thinking anymore, he just wanted to tear Orochimaru, or at this point _anything, _apart and watch it burn. Orochimaru was surprised he had enough restraint not to go into full fox form, he assumed that restraint was what was causing the corrosion of his body, but had he transformed he would have destroyed half the mall with his sheer girth and been most likely given an out of bounds—something that would have stopped him from causing the destruction he was craving, even his blackened mind comprehended that.

Orochimaru's self-satisfied train of thought stopped dead when he realized the world beneath him was no longer raging. His body went cold as he felt the horrible, piercing, violating stare of pure evil upon him. He refocused his line of sight and saw that Kyuubi had stopped still and was crouched beneath him, sprawled on the blackened water, now devoid of fire, looking up at him with wide, solid-black eyes, and slowly his mouth split and a long, sharp-toothed grin spread the terrible maw disturbingly wide. Orochimaru was paralyzed under that gaze, that look of knowledge in the hunter's stare just before his prey is caught. Orochimaru dared not move, uncertain if even the smallest gesture would trigger his doom. But he didn't have to do anything.

With that unnerving shriek in the air once more Kyuubi was up in Orochimaru's face in one blur of black and red fire. He paused again, his eyes staring into Orochimaru's with a blank hunger that made Orochimaru feel fear again. Then he opened his maw and lunged. Orochimaru screamed through his mangled mouth and leapt away just before Kyuubi tore off his face, but the demon caught his ankle, folded the leg as if the bones were not there, shattering them in several places like dry twigs and then flung him down. Orochimaru hit the water and tried to let himself sink, but Kyuubi was already there again, and hoisted Orochimaru by the neck, for which Orochimaru was grateful, as he could activate his jutsu and let his neck elasticize as much as it need as Kyuubi spun him and threw him again. This time Orochimaru skidded along the top of the water, and caught his hands on the surface. He hoisted himself up and began flipping, landing one-footed and traveling with the speed only granted to those truly running for their lives. Kyuubi cackled, and closed the gap between them instantly, grabbing Orochimaru's hair and throwing him onto his back, where he then planted his claws deep into his belly and lifted him by his middle, blood pouring over his arm. Fresh blood poured out of Orochimaru's mouth, and then Kyuubi cocked his arm as if holding no more than a ball and tossed Orochimaru with enough force to throw him through the far wall and two more after that.

Orochimaru fell among the rubble, and laid there, motionless. He could move hardly anything, his head was spinning, the blood would not stop spilling, he had never felt so close to death. He heard footsteps, and hardly dared to look up, but he felt a sense of control from the aura, and it was weaker…it was not Kyuubi.

"Are you out?"

It was Death by Chocolate. Orochimaru could not speak, so he lifted one of his few unbroken limbs and responded with a gesture that seemed too light a commentary on his current mindset, but would have to suffice.

Death chuckled. "Good. Carry on…And do finish this quickly, I need to get repairs done by tomorrow morning."

Orochimaru heard Death's footsteps fade and his mind began racing. Why wasn't Kyuubi there yet? He was one kick to the head away from unconsciousness, but he could not even feel Kyuubi's aura except as a distant flame. He did not brood on that long, he instead sifted through his ninja pack until he found the small, indestructible bottle Kabuto had given him. His loyal servant had purchased it with all his money for this specific fight, something called a healing potion. Unoriginal name, and an all too easy answer from some other, less hardened, world, but Orochimaru wasn't going to complain. He spent a few minutes struggling to uncork it and then slowly, meticulously, eased it down his throat.

- - -

Kyuubi lay curled at the bottom of the pool, shaking and oozing foul liquids, flailing in the blood-darkened water uncontrollably. He could not breathe, but what was more he could not get out. He had lost all control of his body, his mind in some distant place his animal thoughts could not reach and regain. His body was tearing itself apart, as it tried to do too many things, burn and slash and destroy…oh to destroy. He wanted to destroy so badly he was killing _himself, _his entire essence was just eating itself and exploding from him with so much rage it took pieces of his body with it, which were instantly re-built and broken again, in a cycle that made his entire body burn and shake.

He was going to die. He. Was. Dying. He had lost control of the one thing in the world that could contend with him, hurt him, destroy him. He had lost himself. His own mind had abandoned him, his body turned upon itself, his spirit was smothering under its own conflictions. And all this water pressing down on him, suffocating him, making it all the harder to live. This was not a part of him, all this wetness and cocooning life. He was destruction. He was rage. He was fire. And he felt that within him still. With a sudden sharpness he felt that flame at his core, and scrambled to it, groped for it in the unfocussed darkness, fumbling over spasms and tears as his body began to fall apart, until he felt it burn, and with a terrible desperation he lunged for it. He felt it on his palms, grasped it, clung to it desperately, gasping for its warmth and focus like a fish on the shore—and suddenly there was air. He hacked water and bile from his throat as he stumbled up onto one of the few platforms he had not destroyed, and collapsed there, back in his fully humanized body, his mind with him again.

The shaking stopped slowly, and he heaved himself once more to his feet. He was panting still, but his body was whole, and his mind sharp. He was ready to continue. He had spent most of life on the edge of the pit of destruction, wavered towards it on countless occasions, but that was his way, his existence. He did not linger on it. It did not disturb him, it had passed and he was stronger. But it had hurt. It had caused him tremendous pain and frustration—and someone had to pay for that. He disappeared from that place in a blink, and went to find Orochimaru.

- - -

Aside from the gardens that dotted the mall, there was also a small forest. One massive room had walls entirely of glass, past which one could see the more temperate greenhouses, but this room was not much beyond a collection of massive oak, maple and sycamore trees (brought there by unimaginable means), and moss and sparse grasses carpeted the ground. Orochimaru padded through this scene with a heavy limp. His leg was still fractured, one of his arms had lost most of its sensitivity, though he could still use it for basic motions, and his jaw, though healed, was still tense; he could not get it wide enough to pull his sword out. That sword had been his only hope in this battle to begin with, the only thing he had bothered to reinforce and bet on. This was a huge damper on his plans, for without it he was mostly winging it. Kyuubi's failure to follow him instantly meant he must have gained control again, and though Orochimaru was unsure what exactly that meant for him, he knew he was well within his rights to be terrified of it.

He staked out a hiding place in the boughs of one of the oaks, covered himself with a disguise jutsu, and waited. As he had expected, it did not take long for the entrance to the mall explode inward, followed by the even-paced Kyuubi, stalking into the indoor forest, a new jacket billowing behind him. He surveyed the room with narrowed eyes, now back to their usual gold color, and possessed of that calm, focused lust for violence Orochimaru had gained a kind of perverted fondness for. It was night by now, and moonlight painted the forest silver, making Kyuubi' fiery colors stand out more than they already did, making him one spot of fire in an icy world.

That did not suit him. With a small smirk lifting the corner of his mouth he abruptly held his hands up and the trees around him exploded into fiery pillars. Orochimaru slipped from his cover immediately, dropping to the concealed side of the tree, ready to spring away the second the flames drew near.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." Kyuubi grumbled, his voice quiet but still it rumbled through the air and filled the room.

Orochimaru tensed, waiting for a moment he wasn't even sure would come. Some opening…ANY opening. He just needed something to give him that first step off of which he could build a real plan. Kyuubi was drawing closer, trees bursting into fire as he passed, with only a flick of his fingers to ignite them. His rage alone combusted the air around him, the fire spreading steadily, with him as the focal point. Orochimaru cursed softly, he would gain no advantage by merely waiting for Kyuubi to be upon him, he had to hope for the element of surprise. He had to start it.

He vaulted up the tree, and from his higher ground he dropped on Kyuubi with an angry hiss. Kyuubi caught him by the shoulders effortlessly, not so much as a flinch of surprise, and knocked him hard against a tree. The trunk splintered, and the fractures in Orochimaru's leg shattered apart once more. His shriek of pain fueled Kyuubi on, and the demon twisted Orochimaru's arm over his shoulder, popping the socket and flipping him onto his back, knocking the breath from his lungs. He tossed him around for a few moments more, battering Orochimaru as if he were beating dust from a rug. Then he paused, and took a solid grip around Orochimaru's throat, lifting him by it and holding him high off the ground, glaring up into his face.

"This is the price you pay." Kyuubi snarled. "A million of your former comrades lives would never have spared you this payment. You've owed me this debt for some time."

Orochimaru could not respond, the fire was closing in, that poisonous chakra that infected all the air, and Kyuubi's hand was tightening. He scrambled at Kyuubi's forearms desperately, raking rows of blood there, until he no longer had the strength to move. Kyuubi continued closing his grip slowly, making it last, letting nothing but the roaring chakra-flame and Orochimaru's gagging resound in the air. Orochimaru had no choice. He had only one hope left.

Orochimaru stretched his neck, falling low to the ground, and Kyuubi's grip grew abruptly tighter, making him gag and flail for a moment. Then he moved his hands to his belt and drew out a kunai, and Kyuubi smirked, amused by how desperate Orochimaru had become—but he had not realized the real, full extent. Orochimaru brought the kunai to his own throat, dug in the point and slashed his neck open.

Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock, completely at a loss on how to respond. But then he saw where Orochimaru's brilliant insanity had taken him, as a snake with a gaping maw sprung from the opening and from it's throat Orochimaru drew Kusanagi with a defiant, determined swipe. Kyuubi could have laughed at the futility, kusanagi could damage him surely, but not enough to bring Orochimaru back from the brink. His confidence made him too slow, and he all but opened his chest for Orochimaru to plunge the blade into. His blood dropped to the ground in a heavy splash. He smirked at first, looking at Orochimaru with condescending pity—and then he screamed.

With a shriek of such pitch it shattered the panes of the surrounding windows, Kyuubi dropped the snake ninja and stumbled back a few steps, tugging futilely at the hilt of the sword imbedded in his chest. It would not move, and he would not healed. It had burned into his body, sealed itself there, infecting him with…with…some dreadful, awful contamination that was like acid in his veins. He dropped to his knees, gagging and hacking up blood, scrambling at the sword with horrified rage.

"HOW?!" He roared at Orochimaru. "How could you DO this?!"

Orochimaru chuckled, his neck now back to normal. "It's quite simple Kyuubi. Everyone may hate me, but they hate you _more_."

Kyuubi was panting for breath as the poison seeped into his lungs. He could not move, and merely stared at Orochimaru with so much burning hatred the chakra fire around them danced and enlarged at the presence of it.

"In a mall this big, they really do sell everything." Orochimaru continued, testing his leg gingerly and finding he could balance himself with it but nothing more. "Even religious services. The sword was steeped in holy water blessed by every priest I could find—even Wolfwood. I think I saw him smile as he did it." He chuckled. "And now all I have to is stand by and wait for you to pass out from all that suffering. I'm sure it'll take awhile…but I'm patient."

Orochimaru laughed darkly, letting it linger and enjoying it as much as he could…until he heard the lower rumble riding beneath it. When he stopped, Kyuubi's laughter rose, until the sharp, barking laughter was grating on Orochimaru's ears painfully and the ninja folded his arms and scowled confusedly down at the demon.

"What?" He snapped. "Why are you laughing?"

Kyuubi looked up at him coolly. "Because you're a damn fool."

With that he grabbed the hilt of the sword and, wincing and growling all the way, he drew it out hissing and slicing as it was extracted from his throbbing chest. Orochimaru's eyes went wide in horror as Kyuubi tossed the blade at his feet and slowly rose to his, a bleeding, sizzling hole still gaping in the middle of his chest.

"That hurt, Orochimaru." He said, low and sinister, "That really fucking hurt. But that's all. No human, no matter how divine, no matter how potent, could ever stop me. My fire burns eternal, and can incinerate anything you care to drive into it."

Something in Orochimaru snapped, and he lost any sort of sense. With a howl he grabbed the sword and lunged at Kyuubi again, flailing the blade in a desperate attempt to cut anything it could reach. Kyuubi grabbed his sword hand by the wrist and pinned it under his arm. He used his other hand to grab Orochimaru by the side of his face drawing them within an inch of each other, eyes locked.

"You've survived my fire twice Orochimaru, do you dare try a third when I'm actually angry at you?" Kyuubi rumbled.

Orochimaru struggled violently. "Do it! Go ahead! See if I fucking care! You'll get yours you mangy dog!"

Kyuubi raged a moment, that soul-scorching fire bundling up within him, ready to explode and incinerate Orochimaru's mind and strike him dead—Kyuubi paused, staring down at Orochimaru's face with a new understanding. From this view Orochimaru was daring him, excited—and then he understood. He roared an explosive curse, all the withheld rage that he suddenly had to restrain flying out in one hardly decipherable cry of rage and then he slammed his fist into Orochimaru' head and the ninja slumped to the ground, unconscious, but alive.

"You mangled little creature…you'll take any victory you can get." He spat on Orochimaru's passed out form. "Not today, snake. The bet's still on."

Then he stalked away from there, the fire extinguishing behind him. He felt his rage bundling within him anew, but with a new understanding of it. It was part of his fire, part of his life. There was no real outlet for it because it was _always there, _always within him, firing him on, spurring him to his greatest potential. He smiled and felt a new warmth flood through him. He felt more complete than he had in many ages, and he could feel his purpose for being there fast approaching. There was nothing that could oppose him now.


	7. Vs Avatar Roku

FINAL ROUND

- - -

The air of the mall was so thick the inhabitants had to breath in gulps, choking down the tension and anxiety that permeated into every molecule of the air. Blood and sweat had long been a staple there, the scent had reached a level constancy that few noticed it any more, but the scent that infected the air now held more gravity, more poignancy, a promise of grimmer fates. Anxiety and fear clotted in knots of tension between passers-by, as they walked in trickles into the main hub. None were leaving. Those that still remained had stuck it out for so long and seen so much gore already that they wouldn't dream of denying themselves the joy of witnessing the grand finale. All who had not lost stomach for the sport by now had found a sick sort of enjoyment in the competition and had had a bloodlust implanted in them. Though most, if not all, of them were to be cheering on the Avatar—the man that promised safety and balance to continue—and although none of them would admit it, many of them had found a perverted fascination in the sheer rage and inhumanity that Kyuubi represented. They murmured and shouted and their dim roaring fluctuated in waves as they predicted and prayed and wondered about the outcome of this final, overwhelming round.

Reveling in the anticipation, standing in the conference room high above them was the ring-leader of the competition, the edible entity that had found himself slipping further and further out of control of this damn tournament as the days slid past. He stood looking out the massive picture window with his back to a large round conference table, at which sat the makeshift council he had accumulated and abused to warp the tournament in the way he chose. But even with their less-than-legitimate influence, still Kyuubi held a place in this—the final round. He ground his teeth against each other, shavings of chocolate curling off and accumulating until he finally swallowed them and turned to face the table.

"Kyuubi can not win. It's as simple as that." He aid softly. "It's up to you all to make sure that it doesn't happen."

"Yes…I have a question about that, what exactly do we gain from aiding you in stopping him?" Magneto asked, leaning forward on the table, his old face furrowed with wrinkles deepened by concentration.

_Magneto makes a good point. _Mewtwo echoed in. _Kyuubi is deadly to all of us, why should we risk our lives to preserve yours?_

Death raised one bittersweet eyebrow, and took a step forward, placing one hand on the table, drumming the fingers sharply. "What are you implying?"

"No one I particularly care about has a chance of winning any longer anyway." Axel murmured. "I'd just as soon skip out of here before the whole place goes to hell."

"I've allowed you free reign of this tournament in the interest of whatsoever contestant you chose, and now you think to simply run out on this tournament?" Death growled. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Well…" Magneto cleared his throat awkwardly. "The thing is—"

"I don't think so." Death hissed. "You are all staying, and you will assure that Kyuubi does not win. I'm bound by the rules not to interfere, but it's perfectly legal for any of you to step in, and that is what I expect of you."

"Death by Chocolate I'm afraid you—"

Without the faintest warning Death sprung across the table, grabbing Magneto by the face and pinning him to the floor, holding him still with terrifying ease. His hand softened and a slow waterfall of chocolate began oozing down his arm, falling from his palm and filling Magneto forcefully and unstoppably. Magneto was trying to pull away desperately, his legs and arm flailing, but Death had him well pinned.

"Now, gentlemen, I think you've all forgotten something very important." Death said, as Magneto's nostrils flared in search of breath, his eyes bulging. "I am still in control here. Just because Kyuubi is stronger than me does not mean _you _are. You'd do well to act accordingly."

The others were silent, blanching as Magneto's veins bulged in repulsion to the invasion in his body, his limbs growing stiff as thicker stuff flowed forcefully into his veins. Just as Magneto was about to pass out Death pulled back, extracting his chocolate in a gruesome wave and the mutant began gagging and coughing, spitting up bile and shaking from relief and repulsion.

"Any questions?" Death asked, standing, his mouth spreading in a wicked grin at the sight of so many horrified faces. Their expressions went paler, and for a moment Death reveled in the sheer horror he was inflicting in them—and then a wave of heat washed over him and he realized the door his back now faced was open and their deepening fear had little to do with him. He slowly turned, as his skin waxed and beads of chocolate-y sweat dripped down his face. The sight of Kyuubi in all his fiery grandeur made him go rigid, still melting ever so lightly under the intensity of the demon fox's presence.

With a gulp he forced the words out; "This…this is a private meeting…" He began, but then Kyuubi locked eyes with him, and he froze again.

Kyuubi walked past Death by Chocolate and slowly around the right side of the table, his eyes scanning over the small assembly with an unsettling calm. He had been so full of utter rage in the last rounds his abrupt change was far more terrifying than any fireball could be, as they had no way of knowing what it could mean. Uncertainty as far as Kyuubi was concerned had a certain taste of fatality to it. He slid across the floor, his singed black trench coat snapping behind him with a threatening sharpness, his modern ensemble clashing strangely with his ancient aura. He reached the window and turned on his heel to face the group.

"Kyuubi, what business do you have here?" Death demanded, un-sticking is throat again.

Kyuubi raised his eyebrows. "I'm here to make a statement."

As his teeth snapped on the last syllable he grabbed Axel by the neck and threw him through the window. It shattered and with a shriek from the man and several more rising from the crowd, he fell the several stories to the ground. Just before he hit the floor and his head cracked open, however, a massive gust of wind suddenly shot beneath him and stopped his descent like a hand catching him and gently set him down. Kyuubi bared his teeth in a grin as he searched out the savior in the throng, and found Avatar Roku staring up at him with all the ancient sovereignty and dignity that he was so dying to break.

The crowd below was roaring in shock and horror, wondering who this innocent bystander was and what he had done. Before it could go on for long, Kyuubi's voice rose above the crowd.

"That is a message to all of you!" He growled, and the crowd instantly hushed. "Whatever the rules may be, whatever delusion of grandeur and heroism you may have, do NOT interfere in this fight. None of you." He glanced over his shoulder on the last statement, glaring at the assembly, and they all shrunk in their chairs.

"KYUUBI!"

Kyuubi looked back at the crowd and saw them parting to create a pocket around Roku, making sure Kyuubi had a clear sight on who was speaking out against him. "I agree." The crowd murmured, and swarmed with uncertain movement. "None shall put themselves in this battle, I alone can vanquish you and I will not have excess blood spilt in the process."

Kyuubi laughed, the sound, dark and deep in his throat, reverberating over the crowd and bringing a chill like a shadow in front of the sun. Then he turned to fix his gaze on Death once more. "Call it." He growled.

Death snorted, and then fell into a liquid puddle that oozed through the cracks and then instantly re-pooled on the stage amid the spectators below, and reformed into the demon's normal shape. Once he was gone the council lost what little nerve they had kept and the assorted trouble makers bolted for the door instantly, getting as far from Kyuubi as they possibly could.

"My good lords and ladies, guys and dolls, boys and girls, welcome to the last round!" Death by Chocolate cried and the crowd roared. "Are you ready for more blood and gore than you can stomach?" They got louder, still brainwashed in the blood lust this tournament had instilled of them. "Hell, I'm willing to bet some of _you _don't survive!" Death cackled, and the crowd was so enthralled and enthused they only cheered louder, pumping their fists in the air and chanting for blood. "Well then, just in case some of you have been hiding under rocks these past few days let me refresh your memory of our contestants! In that corner over there, standing among you with humility and grace, I present the Master of Nature, Commander of the Elements and Defender of the Balance," Every title dripped with more sarcasm and irony, Death's sheer lack of respect for either of the contestants was quite plain. "AVATAR ROKU!" The cheers were deafening, reaching a crescendo so high Death had to wait several moments for it to subside before he continued. "And in the window of the fourth floor conference room, I present, the Prince of the Nine Tails, Lord of Chaos and Flame, Nature's Abomination, KYUUBI!" A wave of silence fell, as even the new bloodlust did not overwhelm the fear that everyone felt in their core towards Kyuubi. None could predict what reaction would garner them less favor, what cry might spell their doom, and so they stood like stunned sheep, uncertain and petrified.

Then from the back a slow, steady, sharp clapping rang out from one pair of hands, and the heads turned to see Orochimaru sitting on the window sill of a shop display, clapping his hands with a wry smirk on his face. Slowly he dropped his hands, and, staring evenly up at Kyuubi, stood and addressed the crowd.

"Let's see some death." He hissed.

With that half the crowd exploded once more, with thunderous applause and cheering that fell into the steady chant of 'kill' over and over. The other half of the crowd stood blanched and appalled, as they realized how far the other half had fallen in their desire for the extreme. It didn't matter who they cheered for now, so long as they would see blood. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes as he glared back at Orochimaru, and the ninja only smirked and sat once more as the death-wishers continued the uproar.

"Well then!" Death by Chocolate cried over the racket. "Let the round begin!"

Kyuubi was ready to pounce, but at the very start of his lunge, just as his feet left the ground, a massive buffer of wind hit him solidly in the chest and caught that moment of imbalance to push him back and clear across the conference room, soon followed by Roku himself. Kyuubi knew immediately why Roku had made such a move, foolishly barreling into him instead of gaining some space, and chuckled at the selflessness of it. The selfless always died first—he was reminded of a ninja some time ago, a man as equally altruistic and foolish in thinking he could defeat Kyuubi. That man was the only one who could claim victory over Kyuubi, and even he had died in the process. The bruise on Kyuubi's pride at that defeat still lingered now, and somewhere in this fight he saw the opportunity to rectify that—oh, how he would enjoy this.

He shot back to his feet, his aura aflame and ready to destroy, but Roku was already making his next move, and he had foregone any small steps. Suddenly from all the halls there was a great roaring, the foundations shook and the sound of tumbling rushing power was deafening, and came from so many places Kyuubi could find no route to safety. It hit him suddenly and he was overwhelmed.

Water. Everywhere water. It came from the plumbing, the fish tank, the swimming pool, the fountains, all of it rushing to the avatar's call to collect around and crush Kyuubi. It created an orb of liquid, trapping Kyuubi, dousing his fire, swirling him into disorientation and pressing in on him to crush his lungs and blur his vision. Roku had wasted no time on build up or priming, he knew he had to take Kyuubi hard and fast or risk losing any chance he held of victory. Kyuubi flailed for a way out, pumping his limbs desperately to break out of the sphere, but every way he turned a new torrent pushed him back, the pressure holding him down. Avatar stood not meters away, slowly rotating his arms in pace with the swirling water, empowering the whirlpool with his aura and slowly his hand drew closer, as the water compacted, pressing on Kyuubi's bones, squeezing his innards, shrinking his lungs.

But he had fought this battle before. Roku was wise in choosing water to pit against him, in times not so long ago it would have posed a struggle indeed, but now he had the memory of his rage fresh in his mind. That after-image of pure ferocity and lack of control he had faced while fighting Ororchimaru burned his spirit to a new awakening. He had been taught his limits, and in that teaching, he now knew how to push them. For a moment he was still, floating amidst the liquid like an aimless piece of debris, gathering his power within himself to preserve him. Taking advantage of the opening, Roku clapped his hands together and the water collapsed in, condensing, tightening, enough to pop any natural body—but Kyuubi had long surpassed nature. As the water collided with him, he let out a sigh, and the bundle of chakra within him was no longer restrained and it exploded out of him with such counter-acting rage that it unbalanced the water's compression and spiked through it in sharp lines that carved slices in the orb, breaking the seams, and shuddering its foundations. Water was a weakness to both of them, and Roku felt his old struggles coming back to him as he fought to maintain control, to hold the shape of the sphere—but Kyuubi was too much. One of the whips of chakra broke from the orb and lashed towards the Avatar, and with a cry he dove aside. In that moment, he lost all control and the water broke apart and rushed in a cascade out the window and fell down to the crowd below, pummeling many bystanders in the initial torrent and sending the rest fleeing in screeching droves towards higher ground.

Avatar and Kyuubi lay on the floor of the wrecked conference room, sputtering and coughing as water slowly drained, both only momentarily knocked off balance. Roku was the first to regain his footing, and he raised a hand to summon a new force to pit against Kyuubi, but the demon found his breath, and with a mighty spring tackled Roku against the wall, and pinned him by the wrists. His chakra burned in its unholy way, the crisping of skin barely noticeable against the fouling of the spirit it brought with it. Roku found his concentration shaken, his mind momentarily disconnected from the planet and its forces, which jarred him to the core and made him gag and recoil—but he had nowhere to go.

"Tell me old man, why do you fight?" Kyuubi growled, his tails flicking in amusement.

"To stop you." Roku rasped back, still struggling to find that connection once more, his mind fuzzy and segmented.

"I am born of nature, have I not a right to life?"

"You upset the balance, it is my duty to rectify that."

Kyuubi paused, his blaze lowering itself to a simmer as he considered the Avatar, his tails still flicking slowly, his burning gold eyes roamed over the old man before him and he smiled.

"Still a stupid human after all." He chuckled and bent to rip out Roku's throat.

But Kyuubi had let his power falter too long and Avatar raged back to life, and a bubble of angry wind rose around him and exploded outwards, pushing Kyuubi back and allowing Roku to slip into the hallways. Kyuubi followed him instantly lips curled back so far that his blood red gums were bared. His features were melding into the fox-like form subtly, his maw had become unmistakably longer, his teeth sharpening and gnashing in the desire to rip and tear at flesh.

Roku led him down one of the eastern corridors, and Kyuubi gave no mind to where the path led, his eyes were trained only on the Avatar as the man dashed ahead, which left him completely unprepared when a new wave of water broke through one of the windows he dashed past. The aquariums of the pet store drained quickly, pummeling Kyuubi with a torrential swarm. This time Roku made no play for imprisonment, instead he swept waves under Kyuubi's feet and pummeled him from above in erratic violent patterns without a foreseeable method, effectively keeping Kyuubi from gaining any ground. But he knew he could not rely on that long, and instantly fell into his next stage. Part of the water broke off from the torrent to seep into the seems of the walkway, moistening the concrete, and then swelling and expanding, making the walkway crack and bow downwards. The rest of the water gathered into one massive wall of water and crashed down onto Kyuubi once more, smashing through the floor and sending him careening down to the arboretum below.

The water collapsed into the ground of the crater created upon Kyuubi's impact, and the heavy, moistened soil immediately rose to life. Great walls of rock and earth reached up and folded down upon the demon to press him down. It continued folding up, layer upon layer closing in on him, sealing him into a firm grave. But then Kyuubi shook off the impact shock, and managed to claw one hand out from the trap, slashing and burning a path through the soil and rock until his right arm and shoulder were un-sealed and from there he ripped two more trenches in the cocoon, leaving flames licking the edges of the wounds and holding off repair long enough for Kyuubi to heave the rest of his torso out. From there it became a tug of war, Kyuubi breaking a leg free just to have his arm caught in a new swell of stone, and once he had freed that his legs would be secure again. The ground cracked and crumbled in contact with his fiery skin, but the slabs of stone were thick enough to withstand it and hold him back. But still, Kyuubi's anger was growing, empowering him further, while the earth only had its same relentless path, and sooner or later Kyuubi would pull ahead.

From his perch a floor above, Roku saw his small window of opportunity closing quickly as Kyuubi made another lunge forward, gaining impressive ground before a new rise of stone compressed around his legs and pulled him back again. Roku rode a draft down to the ground, across the garden from where Kyuubi's struggle was taking place. He landed lightly, but his feet melded to the earth as they touched, digging in, rooting themselves among the grass and soil, and his energies began rippling out from the connection, seeping into the earth, and past the mall foundations below that, to the skin of the planet, his entire soul draining into the slabs of rock, and then with a massive shout he slapped his palm to the ground and the very plates shifted to his will.

Kyuubi stopped dead as the ground beneath him began shaking so violently the walls around them groaned and cracked, were he not digging in the claws of his feet and hands he would have toppled over himself. He looked up at the Avatar, but was barely able to focus on him for the shuddering of the planet made everything in his vision blur and his head rock. It grew in ferocity, tossing him back and forth, making the walls fall in chunks, windows shattering, and still Roku stood firm. Kyuubi dug his claws in further, and shouldered a piece of the ceiling as it tumbled towards him, knocking it out of the way of his head and barely grimacing as the concrete slab glanced against his shoulder bone. He could hold out, if Roku planned to collapse the mall on top of him he would be sorely disappointed to find out how very little that would do to the demon. He smiled to think of the Avatar's distress when he realized the futility of his attempts at victory. Roku had no hope; it was just a matter of time until he realized it.

But then the tables turned, and the earth split. Kyuubi's eyes bulged in shock as he saw the ground begin to rip apart, strings of roots webbing the gap at first, but soon breaking and falling to the side as the ground yawned open like a great maw, the creaking and grinding of the crumbling mall, it's roar. The jaws opened wider, the crevasse deepening to terrifying, infinite depths as it ripped longer, the ground between his feet splitting and widening alarmingly—but should he release his grip he doubted he would stay upright long enough to make a breakaway.

He didn't have any other choice. Snarling, he dug in deeply for one moment more, and just as the ground he clutched began to crumble he leapt up, aiming for the ledge far above—what was left of the walkways. But the earth was not done with him, and from the side of the gaping wound a thick root whipped up, lashed his ankle and instantly reversed his momentum. As he crashed downward, he watched Roku, still standing as he had before, tall and stable, the crack stopping just before his feet and not even the grass where he stood disrupted by the quake. Just before Kyuubi fell beneath the lip of the gully he smiled, and the howl of his laughter echoed until the earth abruptly swelled and crashed together, melding together and sealing the grave.

Once it had fused the shaking subsided, and Roku finally breathed again, collapsing his strong stance to double over and rest his hands on his knees, gasping. Death slipped in and stood over the scar of missing grass and cracked stone, scowling, his arms folded so his tapping index finger rapped his bicep.

"Have I not won?" Roku asked as his breath control returned to him and he straightened his back again.

"Not…technically…" Death replied, the words snapping out with clear frustration. "It seems the pressure alone has not been enough to kill Kyuubi and…" He sighed deeply, a soft growl following the exhale. "The mall required several basement levels during construction for storage and other purposes, so the owners also possess the ground bellow it for…quite some distance."

"How much distance?" Roku asked, calmly.

"…A lot." Death replied, almost condescendingly.

"How much?" Roku asked again, unfazed.

Death dropped his arms and gave one of his famous indecipherable eye-rolls. "Several hundred miles." He finally replied.

Roku paused for a moment and then nodded and sat in lotus position. "Then I will push him down."

Then he shut his eyes and went to work, as Death muttered and cursed as he looked around at the mall, already half-gone after that tremendous tremor.

- - -

Roku fell into a trance easily, deep meditation came as second nature to him now, with the life of the planet constantly coursing through him and connecting him to the infinity of its power. He let his consciousness fall into a state of abstraction, detaching from the physical world to drift among the ley lines of the higher level where the essence of the elements resided. He flowed into the current gently, and followed it into the earth beneath him. The tides and waves of the forces of the planet were like a pulsing, flowing web, and Roku travelled the threads like a master spider. He felt out his physical position by reading the signatures of the forces specific to the mall, the way all the crashing essences sent angry ripples along the flow.

Kyuubi was easy to pick out, the knot of chaos and corruption that was his soul stood out as a dark scar on the weave, and pulsed angrily, shaking the very fabric of the web. Roku found it hard to come near the demon; the flow around him was corrupted, falling back on itself and twisting into knots that cut and re-routed the forces painfully. But still it flowed into and out of him, supporting him, and the current that came from him made the flow stronger, he was more a part of the world than any human could ever hope to be, and even as he warped the weave he strengthened it in some perverse way.

A wave of something else brushed him then, a gust of the strange power that had first brought him here, but as it touched him in this place Roku was suddenly afraid. As it went by it shattered and burst the lines Roku now rode. They were reconstituted instantly, but still the feeling of utter violation and for that one searing moment _destruction, _was undeniable and left Roku momentarily no more than a quivering blot along the threads. But then it passed, and Roku refocused himself; Kyuubi was the task at hand, and he had to be dealt with before Roku could hope to unravel any more of the dark dealings behind this tournament.

And so he went to work. The twisted state of the lines around Kyuubi made them nigh impossible to travel, but Roku did not need to draw that close. He spread himself, widening and breaking himself into pieces to circle the twisting mass of the entrapped Kyuubi, and then he began to press. The earth fluxed and waves of its signature coursed through the threads, and though he had no physical representation in this plane, Roku could feel and knew that the rock had begun to push downward on Kyuubi's body, slowly but surely—as was earth's way—bringing Kyuubi into its bowels. The tangle of energies that was Kyuubi began to slip along the web, moving towards the bundle of tighter threads that was the planet's core, a small hot dot from here, but still an anchor to push towards, the beacon of victory.

_(((No.)))_

It was not the word, this was a place like a dream where words never really happened, but it was the emotion, a pulsating statement of pure denial that sent every thread into violent tremors with the ferocity of it. Kyuubi would go no further. Kyuubi would stand for no more cages, no more tombs, he had been trapped too long; he would not stand for it any longer. Kyuubi would be free.

His will was like an explosion in the place Roku travelled, and not a brief wave like the force before, this was continuous and intensifying, and so angry it was tearing Roku into pieces he could never recollect. He had no choice, the lines were thrashing, twisting and snapping and reforming as Kyuubi's essence warped them into a reflection of his image, and that was as poison to Roku and the Avatar had no option but to fall back.

- - -

Roku awoke in the physical world with a seizure. His body thrashed and expelled foul liquids in the aftermath of the twisted force of Kyuubi's will. The balance within him was rocketed back and forth, his mind flared with repulsion of the touch of that pure refusal. But it was a brief state, and with a deep gasp Roku found himself again, rising to his knees and wiping blood and bile from his chin, and stared wide-eyed at the place where Kyuubi had fallen.

It was still. Strangely, almost with surreal lifelessness the space around him was motionless, inert, all silent and…anticipating. It was the calm, and the storm that followed shook the sky.

A rumble rolled through the air, growing in intensity as the ground once more began to shake, rattling the debris of the mall and making still more of the building tumble down and break apart. Roku dug in his feet once more, grounding himself as he prepared for the worst—he had no idea just how terrible the worst would be.

The earth swelled where Kyuubi had fallen, a large mound pushing upwards and cracking to shine red hot with inner fire. Flame seeped out of the cracks, lashing out and destroying what was left of the vegetation in the garden, falling around the still growing mound in thick pools of fire. Roku brushed the flames away from him with blades of wind, but that could not stop the rage with which it burned around him, and still the scab grew and bulged upwards in some grotesque and unholy birthing of the demon-fire. Roku could not feel the energy of the earth within that mound any longer, the flames had contaminated it too greatly, and so he could do nothing but watch and wait. He did not wait long, but every moment stretched into an aching eternity or uncertainty and fear until finally the top of the mound burst open as one large claw punched its way out. The rest of Kyuubi soon followed, as he broke aside the rest of the heap with several swipes and then his great shoulders followed and he forced his way out of the earth, dripping chakra-fire with every step.

He was warping even as Roku watched him, making a surreal, unfocused transformation as the body swelled and mutated in surreal and terrifying ways. His body was shifting into fox form unevenly, making him seem lopsided and festering as the wounds from his journey up sealed and his body grew. He was growing at horrible speed, to sizes none would have imagined as the massive body began breaking through what was left of the mall, his shoulders shattering the walls that remained in this wing, his head clearing the ceiling easily as his expanding flank sent the rest of the hall into rubble. Roku was forced to dodge around Kyuubi's growing feet, flames and the falling debris, but he had underestimated the maneuverability of Kyuubi's tails, and as he was looking up to avoid the path of a falling slab of concrete one of the whip-like tails lashed upwards and caught him in the chest, sending him careening through the air, the breath knocked from his lungs.

He had no idea how far he flew, but he hit the ground hard, barely able to throw up a cushioning pocket of air in time to keep his bones from cracking. He bounced several times before finally skidding to a halt amid the broken concrete and uprooted trees. He shook his head as he got to his knees, one hand on his temple as he moaned and looked up—to see that he was on the curb of the highway outside the mall. Out of bounds.

For a moment panic locked his limbs and his stomach dropped, but then he saw Kyuubi, fully grown now, his aura rolling in waves off of him as his every movement made more of the mall crumble. Kyuubi seemed disoriented, his eyes unfocussed and his stance uneven as he came back to terms with himself after so long in a constrained body and pressed inside the earth. From this distance Roku could see that the Mall now was half-leveled. The area where the earthquake had split the ground was now entirely flattened, and everything outward from there was either lying in piles of rubble or standing very shakily, ready to tumble over at the next breeze. The remains of the roller coaster was a crushed ball of metal, the Ferris wheel somehow twisted within it. Only the far end from where they had been still stood in anyway stable, and Roku could see the uncertain and panicky waves of movement through the crowd assembled there. But most importantly, Kyuubi stood amid all the rubble, easily the full height the mall's hub had once been, his legs splayed wide—wider than the hall. The left side of his body was off the mall grounds.

Death by Chocolate bounded over, examining the marks where Roku had hit the grounds with a scowl on his face as in the background Kyuubi started to stabilize, his aura withdrawing to him once more, his eyes sharpening.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Death breathed, and then he stood and shouted, his voice magically amplified with the chocolate microphone he shaped out of the palm of his hand; "Kyuubi and Roku have rung out at the exact same time! It's a draw!"

The boos and hisses were so loud and overwhelming they carried the entire distance to where Death and Roku now stood, and Kyuubi slowly turned his head to stare down at Death by Chocolate, his gold eyes sharp and blazing. Death met his gaze firmly, but his hands shook, and chocolate dripped off his knuckles as he melted ever so slightly under the intensity of that stare. Kyuubi said nothing, and was unmoving but for the gentle swaying of his tails, as the continued cries of out-rage settled into a steady rhythm, and swelled into a fresh chant for blood that carried past Kyuubi and to the demon and avatar standing so much further away.

"Death by Chocolate, this battle needs an ending…" Roku said softly. "You and I know this, Kyuubi and that crowd will allow nothing less."

Death by Chocolate scowled, and then, still looking at Kyuubi, raised his voice once more. "Instead of looking at this as draw, the battle will continue without boundaries!" And then to appease the mob, he cried; "TO THE DEATH!"

The crowd cheered, and Roku frowned at their willingness to continue risking their lives for the sake of being near to this level of carnage. Many of that crowd had already been crushed but still they wanted to see more blood, the blood of those greater than them, so they could feel as though they had been a part of something bigger than themselves—but they would never have any idea just how big a thing this was.

Kyuubi turned his gaze on Roku, neither of them caring whose name or how loud the crowd was cheering, only seeing their opponent. Kyuubi was the epitome of everything Roku had fought all his life to keep down, and Roku was the only thing standing between Kyuubi and all he had ever wanted. They let that fester in the air between them, as a hot wind rushed by them, stirring clothing and fur, and tumbling the static between them in its gusts. It was sundown by now, and the red blaze that bloomed at the horizon and limned the dark clouds overhead seemed as angry and volatile as the hatred between the contestants. Then, slowly, Kyuubi's lips curled back from his long rows of teeth in a grotesque grin and he raised his head and howled.

The sound made many in the crowd fall over screaming, clutching their ears and turning away in terror. Those that remained on their feet shook in terror and fell silent, and soon began looking for a safer vantage point, feeling suddenly exposed and mortal on the ledges of the destroyed mall. Only Roku stood unwavering.

Kyuubi let cry subside and then looked down once more, showing no sign of frustration at the sight of Roku standing just as he had been, his face stony and undaunted. A deep chuckle slipped from Kyuubi's throat, the vibrations of it sending tremors through the ground.

"**Roku, do you look so calmly at your death?" **Kyuubi grumbled, his voice like a roll of thunder with a grating undercurrent that burned the ears and shook the heart.

"You will not be my death, demon." Roku replied.

"**Perhaps, from a certain standpoint your own convictions are your un-doing." **Kyuubi returned, humoring him condescendingly. **"But it will still be my claws that rake out your heart."**

As he snapped his teeth on the last syllable a mass of scales and claws slammed into the side of his head, twisting his neck with the impact as claws raked his neck and shoulder. He sprung backwards, dodging the next pass as it swooped in again. Fang roared and then went to float threateningly behind the Avatar, growling and smoldering as he glared at Kyuubi. Kyuubi's wounds sealed instantly but the damage to his ego had been dealt—and was far more dangerous. Fang lowered his head and Roku patted his jaw appreciatively, how he loved his dragon.

Then Kyuubi sprang, and in one nail-biting moment Roku swung onto Fang's back and they raced out of the way with only molecules separating them from Kyuubi's jaws. Kyuubi gave chase instantly, taking massive bounds that easily filled the gap of speed that flying gave the other two. Fang wove circles that kept Kyuubi awkwardly rebounding on himself to give them an extra edge, but the fox demon kept far too close for comfort, and finally Fang had no choice but to go _up_. He made an abrupt shift and rocketed upwards, streaking up several hundred feet until he was confident Kyuubi had no way of reaching them, and then he stopped, looked down and with a roar unleashed a massive wave of flame from his mouth.

The pillar of fire hit Kyuubi dead-on, and stopped him in his tracks, as it rushed down on him relentlessly. Roku stirred it into greater life with hot winds, but he knew by the cold rock settling in his gut that this would do no good. No sooner had he come to that revelation then Kyuubi ripped himself out of the fire and sent a return bolt of chakra-fire, issued as a wave from his aura and exploding out from him in all directions, causing fresh panic from the crowd as the wave hit them and left many of them with terrible burns and lacerations. A few medics gave weak attempts to help those hit by the blast, but most knew there was little to be done, and merely went back to watching the fight as the victims writhed and moaned.

When the chakra hit Fang and Roku it sent them rocking violently, and Fang's flight path was sent careening off course, making him fly dangerously low to correct it. Just as he had straightened and began to rise again, Kyuubi was upon them, and with one massive slash of his claws they were sent tumbling again. Fang's wing clipped the ground, and he tried desperately to straighten his flight afterward, but he overcompensated and his leg hit a protruding stump and he finally hit the ground hard and skidded to a stop. Roku was knocked off and landed several feet away, groaning and pained but miraculously unbroken.

Kyuubi leapt atop Fang, his paws crushing his neck and wings, and he watched patiently as Roku stood once more, as strong and determined as he had been in the beginning, even with his clothing tattered and his body bruised.

**"Roku, it's pointless for you continue." **Kyuubi boomed. **"You don't understand what I am, or what you must do."**

Roku straightened his shoulders. "I know all I need to. Do not underestimate me."

**"I could give you the same advice. You are still human, and I far outstrip you in age, experience and instinct. We can chase each other in circles for days, until you run out of stamina, or you can give it what we all want—a real fight."**

"If you are implying that I am not completely devoted to defeating y—"

**"Of course you are. You just don't actually understand how. You think of me as your opposite, a counterpoint to your existence. But that's not it, Roku, I am not the contradiction to balance, I am merely one half of it. Half of you." **

Roku stiffened, his eyes tightening to glare at the demon fox, who looked back smugly, his stance relaxed and confident. Fang growled beneath his feet, struggling and writhing to no avail.

**"To harm me you must choose a half and overwhelm me, but if you're still trying to balance it within yourself well…it just wont ever be strong enough." **Kyuubi sobered greatly, and he leaned forward so his face was closer to Roku's. **"Let yourself go, Roku, walk the other path."**

"No." Roku said, without the slightest hesitation. "You are mistaken, my control will overcome your rage. I will not become you, I will not lose who I am."

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes, leering down at Roku as a soft growl formed at the back of his throat, and Roku felt a chill settle over him as he realized he had made a grave mistake. Kyuubi had spoken little to any of his other opponents, certainly not to advise them, this was some sort of higher challenge, and Roku had just severely offended him with his refusal. Kyuubi's terrible rage was bubbling to the surface again, and he had long been on the edge of his breaking point. He turned away from Roku, and looked down at Fang again.

**"Think you so little of me, Roku?" **Kyuubi grumbled, soft menace lacing through his words. **"You could **_**never **_**become me, do not fear that, but I will make you see the other side, I will make you lose that control, and throw you into the desperation for victory that I have always known." **

With that he bent down and closed his jaws on Fang's neck. Roku's eyes widened in horror, and his body froze as he watched the blood fall in dark ribbons from Fang's neck as the dragon thrashed and screeched in pain. Kyuubi tore his teeth out, and then lunged in again, his claws ripping Fang's wings to shreds, as he pulled skin entirely off Fang's spine.

Roku cried out and buffeted Kyuubi with slices of wind so hard and angry they carved trenches in the ground as the whistled past, but they dissolved harmlessly against Kyuubi's aura as it pulsed into great life, blood dripping down the fox's chin and neck. Roku charged in, hurling wind blades, fireballs and waves of stone at Kyuubi ahead of him, none of which made the demon falter as he continued to shred Fang. It was taking too long to get there, it was such a short distance but Roku's feet felt so heavy, his heart was having trouble working, his breathing rasped against his throat. Kyuubi brought his fangs down around the dragon's skull, cracking bones and sending blood down his face in great and terrible streams.

Roku finally drew close enough, he grabbed a stone in his hand and flew at Kyuubi's face, cracking the rock down on his snout and then landing there. He held on and hit him with the stone over and over, the elements raging erratically around them in response to Roku's furor. Kyuubi shook his head violently and Roku fell onto the blood-sodden ground by Fang's head, and then Kyuubi loped away several meters, crouching and watching Roku curiously as he rose to his knees and placed his hands on Fang's neck, blood running over them and down his arms until his skin was stained completely with the foul liquid. Fang looked down at Roku affectionately through one large, foggy eye and then with an apologetic groan he collapsed and breathed out his life.

Roku was numb, the waves of emotion rolled through him with such intensity he did not know how to register them, and merely sat beside the dragon, quivering slightly and cold to the world. The next wave nearly broke him, as he began to grasp what had happened, and the pain that raced through his veins made him want to shriek and moan in tribute to the fallen beast. But what came in the wake of that wave made him rediscover his resolve, as he felt anger and hatred the likes of which he had never touched, and that was the part he held on to, and that allowed him to find his feet once more.

Kyuubi grinned and lowered himself near the ground, ready to pounce; ready to face Roku at a level he had been waiting for this whole damn tournament. Roku looked up at him, and for the first time Kyuubi faltered.

Never on a human had he seen eyes so hard. Never had he felt an aura from their breed that had threatened him or made him feel that he was challenged, and now—now it was so overbearing he could hardly breath. It washed over him and sunk into his skin, Roku hated him with such passion it physically exuded itself into his aura and attacked Kyuubi even as they merely stood facing each other, both stained by Fang's blood, and both of them finally, completely ready to rip the other apart.

Kyuubi dove in eagerly, lunging at Roku with a howl that split the air. Roku leapt aside and sent a gust of wind slicing at Kyuubi's flank. It hit, and it _hurt. _Kyuubi hissed as the wind cut open his skin, and he had to force his body to seal the wound as it sizzled with the continuous, biting energy of Roku's will. The earth began to shake and swell under his feet, shaking him off balance, refusing to support him, stones burst up to stab at his feet and legs, the wind buffeted him constantly, ripping his skin open as it passed, leaving him constantly covered in long, stinging cuts that were reopened as soon as he could heal them. Then the ground burst up once more and gripped him by the feet, holding him firmly as Roku charged in, leaping up to Kyuubi's muzzle. Once there, he held on with his left hand and his right, engulfed in flame, he plunged into Kyuubi's eye.

The fox howled in agony, breaking a foot free and knocking Roku off with a flail of his head, and then he shambled off, howling and raging as he sent his healing energy in desperate waves to his eye. And then he stopped and realized with fresh shock and horror that he had pushed Roku too far, and he had warped him into something that was beyond human but not like anything that had yet existed. Kyuubi's eye would not heal. Roku's essence still burned there, and refused his chakra, denying it the right to mend his wound, and though he could force it to congeal and stitch, the eye would not return and a grotesque, mottled scar remained. There were few things in the planes of existence that could cause a demon to scar, and the demons had long learned that they should fear all of them. Kyuubi doubted Roku was any different.

For the first time, Kyuubi knew fear. Like a cancer, it grew in his gut and spread to his muscles and bones, petrifying his body and making his insides beat and cramp erratically, as his instincts and pride struggled against each other for the next move. Roku's body became engulfed in flame, and as Kyuubi watched in frozen horror he took several slow steps forward. Kyuubi crouched and growled, but Roku was as unshaken as ever, and the passionate _hatred_ in his eyes continued to bore under Kyuubi's skin and snagged his muscles angrily, making the great fox tremble. Roku roared and then with a great sweep of his arm Kyuubi was buffeted with wind and fire, and he jumped to the side in a desperate attempt to avoid the sting of a pain that would not heal. Roku was relentless, and as his rage continued to bombard Kyuubi the near-dark sky became heavily overcast and the rumble of the earth was echoed by one from the sky as the planet mirrored the Avatar's rage. He chased Kyuubi restlessly, sending endless waves of pure elemental fury after him, roars of anger falling constantly from his lips.

A flame burst from the earth, striking Kyuubi under the jaw and making him yelp shrilly. He stopped abruptly and slowly processed the sound of his own pain. He felt another new emotion then, as the shrill sound of his distress grated on his ears and settled into his mind with deep, deep shame. This was not him, he could not let this fear define him, as Roku rose to greater levels of power through his rage. Roku was pitting Kyuubi's own power against him; never had flame burned him, never had rage matched his own—nor would it now. Roku was channeling his anger, his hatred, but that was Kyuubi's playing field, the demon could not allow this human to overwhelm him at his own game, his pride would not allow it. But his eye was still gone, and still the wound stung, and he focused on that, and let the pain seep into his chest, the disgrace at receiving an injury that wouldn't heal from a human burrowed into his heart and deepened his wound. The overwhelming disgust and anger that wound bred shredded through the fear and replaced it with a fresh, ever stronger rage that burned through Kyuubi's spirit and reawakened him. This was who he was, fire and hatred was his essence and his heart, Roku could not stand up to that, and he would not let Roku best him at it.

His aura exploded, raging like a nova and exuding such destructive force it blasted through the attacks Roku had been pitching, and dissolved them into nothing. Kyuubi roared, and it sounded over the rumbling earth and sky and silenced them, as the world grew deathly still at the rebirth of Kyuubi's rage. Only Roku did not waver, with his lust for vengeance still fresh he felt no fear and charged in to attack once more. Kyuubi met him with another blast of his chakra, but the Avatar cut through it with burst of wind and continued his rampage. Kyuubi tried to buffet him twice more, and twice Roku split the wave of flame and continued on. What attacks he launched at Kyuubi dissolved on contact with his burning aura, and so they exchanged blows that did nothing but tear apart the world around them as the overwhelming destructive force was transferred away from their targets, carving deep gashes in the earth, mangling the streets into uselessness, flattening trees and telephone poles and still more of the mall. Even as their battle took them far from the building the shockwaves of their clash continued to make it crack and crumble.

All fear and hesitancy was gone from the contestants, all restrictions were abolished as they pummeled each other with a pure, desperate desire to win. Every breath was a curse, every move a strike, every slightest thing was focused on and created from that one, core yearning for their opponent to fall. The difference between them, was that Roku had only just found this side of himself, and Kyuubi was _made _of it, and he had one more level to play.

He pounced, and Roku did not try to evade, but instead sent still more of his wind and fire at the demon, refusing to back down, trying to force Kyuubi to be the first to pull back. The demon had reached a level of desperation he had not felt before and it fueled him into his most glorious wrath, and though Roku's attacks hit solidly, he was not deterred. He landed just before the Avatar and pinned him between his paws, encircling him so his face glared at him, huge and grotesque. Then they subsided once more, their auras raging, but their bodies still and Kyuubi's hot breath rustling over Roku pungently.

"I accept now, Kyuubi, this is what you wanted, is it not?" Roku growled, his voice low and shaking with hatred and sorrow. "I have taken on your ways, and I will overwhelm you with them!"

Kyuubi's lips curled as he growled softly. **"You can take on my attributes for a moment, Roku, but you will never know the true depths of them." **Kyuubi rumbled.** "However, as a tribute to what you have accomplished, I will let you feel it upon your death."**

And then Kyuubi ripped into his soul. Kyuubi's demon fire took on its more ethereal shape and blasted through Roku's skin and into his inner weave. The threads and chains he had ridden within the planet coursed through the body also and Kyuubi's flame rushed into them and made them burn. Roku collapsed to his knees, his mind overwhelmed as the fire continued coursing through his body, snagging at the memories of pain and suffering and throwing them up to the surface, uncovering every sin, every shame, and always it was burning; feeding on the things in his soul he had long locked away and feeding off of them to eat away at the Avatar's heart. The ripping of his inner-self translated to his body with violent shakes and bleeding within his organs, as a feeling as if his heart were endlessly breaking continued pounding him mercilessly and every millisecond felt like years of torment.

Roku looked up at the demon fox, and tears sprung from his eyes, his trembling hands reaching forward hopelessly.

**"Do you cry now, avatar? Can you not face yourself?" **Kyuubi chuckled, reveling in the torment.** "This is the extent of human strength, and you can go no further." **

"No," Roku rasped softly, still more tears trickling down his face. "Not for me…for you."

**"What?"** Kyuubi recoiled, growling.

"Your mind…it's so…sad…" Roku shuddered. "Your birth…all that suffering…"

Kyuubi then felt the invading trickle of Roku's consciousness, riding the web he knew so well to get back into Kyuubi's brain and rebound the attack. Kyuubi was eternal, and with eternity memories had faded, and he had not for many millennia recalled a time before he had become what he was now. But now Roku, clumsily playing the strings of the soul, had stumbled upon that part of him; the icy darkness he had come from and that had once scared and hurt him. A time when the loneliness had been confusing and painful, when he had not understood what he was or why there was so much destruction and death around him, when his every breath had scratched his throat and made him spit blood. He had forgotten how long and biting his path to becoming the warped and raging beast he was now had been. Kyuubi threw his head back and howled, his voice broke and hit a rasping shrillness that carried for miles, and those that heard it were overwhelmed with disgust and pity and pain, as Kyuubi sought to break free of those memories once more.

He cut off the cry and sunk into himself, ignoring his physical body, and collapsing inwards to purge his spirit of Roku's presence. His web was a twisted maze, over-lapping and knotting itself into tangles that were near impassable, and only he could traverse them easily. Roku's smooth, straight threads meshed with his, and in the realm beyond the physical the two of them had become dangerously entangled, hardly separate any longer but for the miniscule pockets of defense between them. They knew each other totally, facing off in this plane, every motive, every memory, every passion, was open to the other as they became locked together.

(((Kyuubi, I never would have known.))) Avatar whispered, the essence of pity and forgiveness washing through the web softly.

**(((You were never supposed to.))) **Bitterness, refusal—the sting of pain and withdrawal from the new awareness that kept pulsing through Kyuubi's threads, making them shudder and go cold.

(((You never had a choice, you became this through no fault of your own…all you want is the right to your life…))) Understanding, and an apology. (((I see now…you are the balance for the rest of the world. You exist in chaos so we can have order, in that sense, you serve the planet more than I ever could.)))

**(((I serve no one.))) **A fresh wave of anger, and Roku shrunk back from it, uncertain. **(((You seem to think this has somehow changed me Roku, somehow altered the circumstances between us.)))**

(((It _is_ different, you are not what I had perceived. I accept you. I forgive you.)))

The weave shook with pride and hatred. **(((I am what I have always been. My past created me, but it does not define me. You forgive me? I do not apologize.))) **It calmed, but the undercurrents of scorn and simmering hatred still coursed through the web.** (((I will not change or harbor a new regret because I recall a single moment of pain. You are a fool to continue putting me up to your human standards, I do not pity anyone, myself least of all, nor do I regret or feel contempt over any moment in my past. If anything, what you have shown me fires me further, and gives my existence more volition. I am rage, and I am flame, I am destruction and I am pain. Come Roku, face me and all that I am.)))**

The lines of Kyuubi's weave exploded into massive blooms of fire, rushing along their path with overwhelming, shattering force. Roku could not retreat this time, Kyuubi's web was too far entangled with his own, holding him there, trapping him, and he could do nothing but wait in pained confusion until it collided with and obliterated him. As Roku's spirit was destroyed Kyuubi fell back into the physical world, and felt with satisfaction the charred cinders of Roku's soul leave his mind and indeed, the world entirely. Roku's body hemorrhaged massively, and fell in a wretched, bloody mass to the ground, and he was no more.

Kyuubi gave him no thought, and walked away from the body as if it were no more than another piece of dirt. He had won, and it mattered not who he had defeated to do so, he gave Roku no acknowledgement and would forget him soon enough. He was only a human, after all.

- - -

He walked back to the mall, what amount of it was left standing—little more than a few walls with the linking floors crumbling pitifully under the crowds that were packed there, watching Kyuubi with wide-eyed horror. He surveyed them sternly, his remaining eye still aflame with the heat of battle. The other eye was beginning to heal with Roku's will gone from the world, but it was still no more than a mass of puss and tendons.

**"Where is Death by Chocolate? I am the victor."** Kyuubi growled.

None moved, they all just stared and trembled. Kyuubi growled, and they shrunk away still more, one of them fainted and fell to the ground, cracking his head on a piece of rubble as he did.

"**OROCHIMARU**!" Kyuubi bellowed, and the crowd squirmed and shifted to try and locate the snake demon. Soon he sauntered to the front of the crowd, his grin wide and sly.

"Yes, Kyuubi-chan?" He asked, chuckling.

**"Where is Death by Chocolate?" **

"Kyuubi-chan, I was so enthralled by your battle I didn't have time to keep tabs on a lowly demon like him." Kyuubi's growl deepened, and Orochimaru only chuckled again, continuing: "Of course, once I get my prize, I'm sure I'd recall…"

Kyuubi gnashed his teeth, and then exhaled an angry sigh and then lowered his muzzle to the snake ninja. With a chuckle Orochimaru pulled a vial from his pouch and kusanagi from his throat. He touched the blade to Kyuubi's snout and pressed down firmly, created a deep cut from which dark blood oozed and travelled down the blade to drip off the tip and into the vial until it had filled. Orochimaru then removed the blade and corked the bottle, smirking up at Kyuubi as he replaced the sword down his gullet and tossed the bottle to Kabuto, standing ever obedient at his side.

"He went below, through there." Orochimaru said, nodding towards a deep crag in the ground. "Enjoy."

Kyuubi scoffed and then shook himself, and in a burst of flame he shrunk back down to his human shape, naked now, pure in his fiery rage, and then went to the gash in the earth and slipped inside. Orochimaru chuckled and then turned to Kabuto.

"Come, let's get out of here before Kyuubi kills everyone."

Kabuto nodded and followed Orochimaru as he walked through the crowd easily as they broke apart to make a path for him.

"Orochimaru-sama…if you had lost…what would you have given him?" Kabuto asked, out of morbid curiosity.

"Hnn? Oh. You." Orochimaru snickered. "Maybe that's why he didn't try too hard to win…"

Kabuto gaped, going slightly pale at the horror of the idea of what hell he might have ended up in. Then he snapped out of it and followed his master once more.

- - -

Death by Chocolate stood in the basement of the mall, standing at the control panel of the massive inter-dimensional chaos-sphere that had been the controlling core of this whole tournament. It was the thing that allowed all of these people to exist in the same space, and keep the worlds stable. The energy was a strange thing, constantly changing and coming in and out of focus, like sunspots, or an afterimage, but never seeming to be entirely there. And it was huge—easily the size of what the mall had once been, and constantly humming at a pitch that was almost imperceptible to human ears but still made them tingle and buzz as if they had just popped. It was disconcertingly surreal, and most humans would have been driven insane by only a few hours of exposure, and certainly its mere nearness had lent to the frenzy of the last few rounds.

Death needed to find the off button. He swore and grumbled as he tried to figure out his way around the panel, but the damn thing was so jumbled he couldn't even figure out which end he was supposed to stand at. It seemed he wouldn't have any choice—he would just have to hot-wire it. He punched a hole in the base of it, and pulled the sheet of metal aside, looking into the mess of wires beyond. He had to shut this thing down and send everyone back quickly, before Kyuubi had a chance to—

He registered the flame too late, and it smacked into the left side of his face dead-on, and sent him reeling to the ground, half his face melted off. Kyuubi then pinned his legs, melting them as well, and leaving Death lying hopelessly on the ground while he stood over him, glowering.

"Oh Death, you foolish little thing." He sighed. "Did you think to get rid of me, even after you were already bound to your duty? I've won, and you owe me."

"What? What do you want!" Death gasped through half his mouth, fighting to retain what solidity he still had under Kyuubi's roaring aura.

Kyuubi went stonily sober, and leaned down so he was looking death squarely in the eyes. "My freedom." He growled.

Death by Chocolate almost melted further as relief washed over him. Of course. Kyuubi was only able to be here because of the portal, but in his world he was still tied to the human cage. If Death by Chocolate killed off that boy while Kyuubi was here, then the fox demon would go free once more. He was more than capable to do that. All this time Kyuubi had been letting him panic over what he would request and all along it was something so simple. Almost laughing, Death nodded and Kyuubi quieted his aura so the chocolate-y demon could reconstitute his body and then fade away into the other world.

Kyuubi waited, looking up into the swirling, endless orb of nothing and everything and trembling with anticipation. Too long he had been restrained, too long he had been gasping for breath while drowning in a pit of torment, sealed away and contained within someone else's body and lending that boy his power for his only source of amusement. They would pay. They would all pay. Everyone that had ever held him back, angered him or hurt him, they would all fall down before his rage, and realize what fools they were to ever hope to survive him.

A pulse came from the orb, and hit him with an overwhelming wave of warmth that stuck in his gut and spread out to his extremities. For a moment his heart stopped, as everything within him constricted and stalled. Several seconds passed in absolute stillness but for the constant shifting of the sphere, while Kyuubi stood with his insides raging and convulsing as outside he could not so much as blink.

Then it broke, and a low, guttural sound trembled through the cavern, and then it rose, until the shrill, barking mirth seeped up through the cracks in the earth and spread over the still-assembled crowd. As they watched in abject fear the ground convulsed, and the cracks deepened and spider-webbed into wider, longer patterns, covering massive amounts of ground as it shook and crumbled, the very earth falling apart as Kyuubi returned to power.

The demon fox raised his voice once more, this time as a great howl, and in that sound the world heard its doom. It was a threat, a sentence, a promise. Kyuubi had returned to full power, the great demon had been reborn, and none would escape his wrath. Beneath the earth Kyuubi felt a great weight lifted from him, and even as strong as he had been he felt it multiply as his will and furor gained the freedom it always craved. Above him the night settled in, and the people who had witnessed its fall knew that dawn would never break again.

**Well, there it is. My final-round submission. I really did put everything I had into it and I hope it showed. I would just like to say that I have absolutely loved participating in this tournament and feel that it has tremendously helped improve my abilities in writing fighting action. Best of luck and much props to the other finalist Alius111, and it was an honor facing you and all my other opponents. I am sooo happy just to be in the final round, everyone was a real challenge and I credit all of you (as well as Avatarjk137, who organized this whole amazing thing) with my vast improvement over this relatively short period of time. **

**thank you and much love**

**Angel Lucifel  
**


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